Ferrari Luce Potentially Becomes the Most Expensive Car Ever Tested by Euro NCAP

The electric car Ferrari Luce. (Photo: Ferrari)

Ferrari is getting closer to making a new history through Luce. The electric car from the Italian manufacturer has the potential to become the first Ferrari vehicle, as well as the highest-value car ever to undergo a crash test by independent safety organization Euro NCAP.

In a Luce technical briefing held in Rome, a Ferrari spokesperson confirmed that Euro NCAP was part of its target. Although it has not explicitly confirmed that Luce will follow the entire series of tests, the statement indicates that Ferrari is preparing its first electric car to undergo independent safety evaluations.

If testing is actually carried out, Ferrari will likely have to provide a number of vehicle units for the needs of Euro NCAP's destructive tests. Given the price of one Luce unit is estimated to reach 1 million American dollars.

At least four cars are needed for a series of crash tests, the cost of which the Italian manufacturer will have to bear will be very large. This value even exceeds the estimated cost of around 750,000 US dollars that is usually needed to complete a full set of safety tests to obtain a star rating.

Launching from Drive, Wednesday, June 3, Luce has the opportunity to become the most expensive vehicle ever rated by Euro NCAP. It should be noted that the safety rating from Euro NCAP and ANCAP Australia is not a mandatory requirement before a car is marketed.

Testing is usually carried out if the manufacturer submits its vehicle for testing or if the safety agency decides to purchase a vehicle unit independently. So far, sports cars and supercars have rarely been included in major safety assessment programs.

The low sales volume factor, very high prices, and specific market segments make this type of vehicle not a priority in testing. Ferrari itself is one of the brands that generally do not send their cars to independent testing institutions.

In addition to the fact that the testing standards are more focused on mass passenger vehicles, the risk of reputation due to unsatisfactory results is also considered not proportional to the benefits of obtaining a star rating that is not the main consideration of supercar consumers.

However, Luce comes with a different character compared to the general Ferrari models. This vehicle is not a pure supercar, but a four-door electric car with a capacity of five passengers designed for family use.

Therefore, consumer expectations for safety aspects are higher. Ferrari even equipped Luce with two ISOFIX child seat mounting points on the rear bench, confirming the vehicle's orientation as a more family-friendly car.

Testing premium vehicles is actually nothing new for Euro NCAP. However, it is very rare for the agency to test cars priced above $250,000, such as the latest generation of the Range Rover. Even rarer is the result then converted into an ANCAP rating.

Historically, Ferrari and other high-performance vehicle manufacturers have continued to conduct computer-based crash simulations as well as physical testing of prototypes during the development process. This step is taken to ensure that vehicles are able to provide protection in the event of a collision in the real world.

The difference is that the results of internal testing are usually not widely publicized to the public as is the case with the assessment conducted by Euro NCAP. Until now it is not known whether the Ferrari Luce is able to achieve a five-star safety rating when it is tested.