One generation behind: Why might Israelis receive a vehicle with outdated safety technology?

In recent years, it seems that the issue of safety has lost its importance in the considerations of car buyers in Israel. Many believe that the automotive industry has "aligned" regarding safety requirements, so the differences between models in this area are minimal. Indeed, almost every new car model released today to the European market, including from unknown brands from China, manages to achieve a maximum score of 5 safety stars in Euro NCAP tests.

But vehicle safety is a dynamic field that changes in parallel with the accelerated development of the vehicles themselves. These safety innovations take time to reach Israel, creating significant gaps when it comes to new regulations. What are the changes that have occurred in the field in recent weeks and how can one get ahead of the trend? Globes puts things in order.

The definition of safety has expanded

The safety tests of the voluntary vehicle safety organization Euro NCAP have for decades been a kind of "safety seal" that promotes sales and pushes the industry to improve. If in the past only a handful of elite manufacturers achieved the maximum score of 5 stars, in recent years the task is much easier - with the help of a few million dollars and the services of specialized consultants and automotive engineering contractors.

However, in light of the accelerated developments in the automotive field, the organization decided to tighten the tests and introduced significant changes to its rating methods in June of this year. The central score still relies on rigorous crash tests, but new test categories have been added to the weighting. One of them is "safe driving", which includes, among other things, tightening tests for traffic sign recognition systems in real road conditions, as well as examining the functioning of driver monitoring systems during common distractions, for example, phone calls.

Key changes in the field of vehicle safety:

"Penalty" for lack of buttons: Reduction of rating in Euro NCAP crash tests for vehicles without physical buttons, with the aim of reducing distractions.
Preference for smart auxiliary systems: Giving a higher score in NCAP to safety systems that operate smoothly and do not bother the driver, to prevent them from being disabled.
Rescue after an accident: Tightening requirements for ease of opening doors (with an emphasis on recessed handles) and automatic disconnection of high voltage.
Battery fire delay: Tightening the Chinese standard so that a 120-minute delay is required for fire penetration into the passenger compartment (compared to only 5 minutes in Europe).
Mechanical emergency switch: Mandatory installation of an external physical switch to disconnect the battery, for the benefit of rescue and emergency forces.

The most stringent clause in the new category is the requirement to reduce the distractions created by touch screens. The new tests now impose score "penalties" on models without physical switches to control basic driving functions or whose screens are crowded and make it difficult to read data.

Upgrade to batteries from China

The Chinese automotive industry lagged behind the West for many decades regarding vehicle safety standards, but today it is taking the global lead in critical safety areas, particularly battery safety in electric or "electrified" vehicles. In July of this year, new regulations were mandated for every new model sold in China.

The new standard requires a new and advanced battery pack, with gel filling, that can contain a thermal runaway event for at least 120 minutes without ignition, explosion, or smoke penetration into the vehicle cabin. Unlike this, current standards that still exist in Europe require an early warning of about 5 minutes.

Will the innovations reach the country?

The basic rule is "today's 5 stars are not last year's 5 stars". New models that have entered the European market in recent months have already managed to prepare for the new NCAP tests. On the other hand, car manufacturers may try to extend the life cycle of existing models that are rated 5 stars.

The issue of Chinese battery safety is more complex in the consumer aspect. The new standard mandates only models for the Chinese market and therefore it is legally permitted to export from China models with batteries from the previous generation. To verify, you can ask the importer for the official battery specification: if there is a mention of compliance with the Chinese standard GB 38031-2025, the battery belongs to the new generation.