XPeng's X9 speed assistance did not meet Euro NCAP's prerequisites for scoring

Euro NCAP published its October ratings on October 12, covering three cars assessed under its 2026 protocols: the Audi Q7, the Kia EV2 and the XPeng X9. All three took five stars.

The X9’s speed assistance system did not meet the program’s prerequisites for scoring. In its rating record Euro NCAP said that during an on-road drive of some 2,000 km the system did not meet its threshold for correct identification of the speed limit, and did not correctly indicate conditional limits it could not interpret, such as those applying only to heavy goods vehicles. The accompanying release said the system failed to display the last known speed limit alongside a clear indication that an uninterpretable sign had been encountered. Euro NCAP said it had been informed that XPeng was working on an improved system.

The Audi Q7’s system covered a comparable distance. Over around 2,000 km through Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovenia it identified the limit correctly in 87 percent of cases, representing 95 percent of the distance driven.

Under the Safe Driving section of the rating, Euro NCAP expects the indicators, wipers and washer, hazard lights, horn and eCall button to be worked by a direct physical input rather than through a touchscreen menu. The Q7 scored 90 percent overall for driving controls, 100 percent for essential driving tasks and 80 percent for comfort and infotainment. The X9 scored 20 percent on its primary driving controls. Euro NCAP said Audi, which it noted had previously been criticized for doing away with buttons and switches, had reinstated them.

The X9’s driver monitoring system identified fatigue and various types of distraction but not phone use. Euro NCAP set its next ratings release for November 18.