At Mercedes-Benz, we’re not content just to meet standard safety requirements. Our vehicles undergo extensive tests that far exceed the demands of consumer safety organisations and of European, US and Japanese legislation.

This rigorous approach is nothing new. As early as 1969 we established our own Accident Research Department, which has since analysed and reconstructed thousands of real-life accidents.

We were also quick to realise the limitations of standardized, head-on crash tests and became the first manufacturer to introduce off-set crash testing in 1979. Only in 1998 did this become a legal requirement in the EU.

In recent years, we’ve also led the way in virtual crash testing. This enables us to simulate endless variations of crashes, studying both safety and ease of repair. As a result, models such as the E-Class can now be repaired at relatively low cost.