Second-hand cars from Europe are safer to drive in than brand new cars assembled and sold in Africa. 

That’s the verdict of an organisation known as the Euro New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP), which is urging Africans to buy second-hand vehicles from Europe instead of brand new cars assembled or manufactured on the continent. 

This according to Euro NCAP is because second-hand vehicles from Europe are of a higher quality and provide better safety than those made in Africa because of the high standards set by the European Union for vehicle manufacturers.

In a vehicle safety assessment programme, comparing a Made-in-Africa Nissan NP300 and the same model manufactured in Europe, NCAP says it discovered that although the cars were of the same make, the vehicle made in Africa was of a poorer quality than the one made in Europe, thus posing a greater danger to the lives of its occupants.

Based in Leuven and founded in 1996 by the Transport Research Laboratory for the UK Department for Transport, the car assessment programme is known for providing reliable, comprehensive and timely consumer information on the safety of new cars. 

The programme, backed by several European governments, as well as by the European Union has processes and measures put in place to ensure accurate rating of a vehicle’s performance.

Watch the car safety assessment comparison between Made-in-Africa Nissan NP300 and a Made-in-Europe Nissan NP300 in the video below