Euro NCAP: firefly Sets new Safety Benchmark With 5-Star Rating

· firefly is already the sixth model from NIO tested under the latest standard to earn five out of five stars in Euro NCAP
· firefly achieves a grand slam of top safety ratings in both European and Chinese crash test programs, including Euro NCAP, C-NCAP, and C-IASI
· firefly convinces in the renowned Euro NCAP safety tests with advanced intelligent safety technologies
·Highest Adult Protection score (96%) of any Euro NCAP-tested passenger vehicle since early 2024

Munich, September 8 2025 – firefly, the first electric smart compact-class car from NIO’s global lifestyle mobility brand, has received the highest rating for vehicle safety in the Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme). The firefly has also achieved a five-star rating in the C-NCAP and all-G Ratings in C-IASI safety tests, securing the highest score across all assessments. In developing firefly, the goal was to bring premium-level safety to the compact class, combining maximum protection with the convenience of a city-friendly design. Now, firefly is already the sixth model from NIO to achieve this award, following the NIO EL6(1), NIO ET5(2), NIO ET5 Touring(3), NIO EL7(4) and NIO ES8(5). From the outset, firefly was developed with the aim of combining maximum safety and comfort.

Safety with firefly
With a score of 96 percent for adult occupant safety, firefly achieved an outstanding result in this category – the highest of any passenger vehicle tested by Euro NCAP since the beginning of 2024. firefly also scored high in child safety with 87 percent and achieved 82 percent for the safety of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. The model also performed very well in the driver assistance systems category with a score of 86 percent.

The excellent result was primarily due to the stable passenger cell and the comprehensive airbag system. Additional factors included advanced safety and assistance technologies such as autonomous emergency braking that detects vulnerable road users, lane departure warning, a driver monitoring system capable to detect distraction and fatigue cases, and child presence detection. Outstanding performance in side-impact protection, the inclusion of a multi-collision brake, a reliable emergency call function, and the ability to continue operating doors and windows even after an accident further underscore firefly's high safety standards.

firefly offers an intelligent driving experience with intuitive and seamless interactions – it protects its occupants with a comprehensive range of more than 30(6) active safety systems and assisted driving(7) features as standard, many of them new to this class. These also enhance the protection of vulnerable road users. Standard equipment includes seven airbags, including a front center airbag and ultra-long side curtain airbags and advanced driver assistance systems, such as lane keeping assist, emergency braking assist, door opening warning and driver drowsiness detection. Additional automated support functions include a reverse collision warning system that detects pedestrians during manual parking, as well as motorway assistance with adaptive cruise control, Pilot Assist and Active Lane Change. Blind Spot Camera and Digital Rear View Mirror Camera functions further improve visibility by displaying real-time images on the central screen.

firefly made its European customer deliveries in August 2025 in the Netherlands and Norway. By 2026, the brand will be available in additional markets, including Austria, Belgium, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania and Denmark. As a new brand from NIO, firefly entered the compact segment with its first model – a rear-wheel-drive electric car that stands out with distinctive design and advanced features rather than competing primarily on price.

Safety systems as a top priority
Euro NCAP is a consumer protection programme that assesses the safety of passenger cars. Its clear and transparent star rating system, which awards up to five stars, provides consumers with an easy-to-understand comparison of vehicle safety. The latest Euro NCAP tests evaluate more than one hundred active safety scenarios. These demonstrate that firefly's safety technologies protect vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, as well as vehicle occupants.

Since its foundation, NIO has made the development of active and passive safety systems a top priority – to protect users and the wider public. firefly's five-star Euro NCAP rating underscores that it meets the demands of a safe and intelligent compact-class electric vehicle.

*1 Electricity consumption according to WLTP combined: 22.3-20.4 kWh/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km; CO₂ class A.
*2 Electricity consumption according to WLTP combined: 20.8-18.6 kWh/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km; CO₂ class A.
*3 Electricity consumption according to WLTP combined: 21.9-19.3 kWh/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km; CO₂ class A.
*4 Electricity consumption according to WLTP combined: 23.9-22.1 kWh/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km; CO₂ class A.
*5 Electricity consumption according to WLTP combined:
*6 Vehicle characteristics may vary depending on region, market, version and configuration.
*7 Driver assistance functions may vary per region or depending on country-specific regulations.

For more information: https://www.nio.com/news

Press Contact NIO Europe:
Julia von Ledebur
julia.bock@nio.io

Fink & Fuchs AG
nio@finkfuchs.de

About firefly
firefly is NIO’s answer to the global market for compact electric vehicles: a new lifestyle mobility brand offering smart, high-quality compact EVs for urban living around the world. Inspired by the energy and agility of its namesake, firefly embodies freedom, playfulness, and confidence. The brand’s glowing firefly emblem and the slogan “freedom to glow” capture its spirit of refined innovation in a smaller, more accessible form – powered by NIO’s global engineering expertise across Shanghai, Berlin, Oxford, and Munich.

The first model, also named firefly, is a smart, compact electric car designed with a strong focus on design, safety, space, intelligence, and energy efficiency, tailored to the needs of users with an active urban lifestyle. firefly was unveiled globally in December 2024 and launched in China in April 2025. The brand is now expanding internationally to 16 countries, with Norway and the Netherlands as the first European markets, and a European launch scheduled for summer 2025.

Learn more at www.firefly.world and on Instagram: @firefly.car