Huawei’s Aito M8 became the safest car in China surpassing Xiaomi SU7 in C-NCAP crash test
The Aito M8 full-size new energy SUV from Huawei and Seres became the safest car in China, scoring 93.7% in the C-NCAP safety and crash test. It got the “five stars +” grade, surpassing the Xiaomi SU7 and other vehicles evaluated by the 2024 safety standard.
The Aito M8 was initially launched in China with an EREV powertrain in April 2025. It rapidly turned into a hot seller with cumulative deliveries of 56,748 units (data from China EV DataTracker). It is a large crossover priced between 359,800 – 449,800 yuan (50,140 – 62,680 USD). This model made headlines in China once again after scoring the “five stars +” grade in the C-NCAP crash test.
The C-NCAP crash and safety evaluation test is organized by the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC). The C-NCAP includes tests for vehicle occupants, vulnerable road users, and safety assistance functions. Models in these tests are evaluated on a scale from 0 to 100%. And then those percentages are converted into stars to make the result more understandable.
The C-NCAP evaluated the entry-level Aito M8 EREV with six seats inside. This version adopts a 37 kWh LFP battery pack from CATL and a LiDAR sensor on the roof. Its retail price is 369,900 yuan (51,530 USD) in China. Tested cars were bought anonymously at a random dealer with the agency’s money.
Aito M8 safety performance
The Aito M8 scored more than five stars in the C-NCAP with an exact performance of 93.7%. It is the highest among cars evaluated by the 2024 safety standard, including the Xiaomi SU7 sedan, which got 93.5%. The Aito M8 scored highest in the Active Safety category (96.34%). Its performance is 9.99% higher than the average results of cars evaluated by C-NCAP. Its Automated Emergency Braking (AEB) and lighting effectiveness almost got a full score.
The Aito M8 Max got 96.26% in the occupant protection segment (5.62% higher than average). The car performed well in a real vehicle collision, scoring 83.3 points out of 88. C-NCAP crash tests include frontal full-width barrier collision, frontal 50% overlapping moving deformable barrier collision, deformable mobile barrier side impact, and side pillar collision.
Performance in the vulnerable road users (VRU) protection category reached 86.03%. It is 7.34% higher than average. This test includes pedestrians’ leg and head protection, and tests of the AEB function.
We listed the list of cars with the highest overall performance in the 2024 standard C-NCAP safety and crash evaluation test.
- Aito M8 EREV – 93.7%
- Xiaomi SU7 – 93.5%
- Zeekr Mix – 91.8%
- Mazda EZ-6 – 90.8%
- Li Auto L6 – 90.5%
More about the Aito M8
The Aito M8 is a full-size SUV with dimensions of 5190/1999/1795 mm. Its wheelbase reaches 3,105 mm. Thanks to a sleek front end and retractable door handles, the Aito M8 EREV boasts a drag coefficient of 0,259 Cd. It rides on R20 or R21 wheels. The interior of the Aito M8 has two seat layout variants. The first offers two rows with five seats. The second option is a six-seat car with three rows.
The Aito M8 EREV is powered by a dual-motor 4WD with a peak power of 392 kW (526 hp). Under the hood, this SUV has a 1.5-liter turbocharged range extender. The battery is either LFP or ternary NMC with a capacity of 37 kWh or 53.4 kWh. The CLTC range is 201 km and 310 km, respectively. The mixed range reaches 1,405 km or 1,526 km, respectively.
