The best Lane Keeping Assist in the test
This technology saves lives: If a car leaves the lane, bad things can happen. In the event of a head-on collision with oncoming traffic or an avenue tree, there is little chance of survival at country road speeds. If you drive into the ditch instead, you will cause at least serious damage to the bodywork. These three accident scenarios are just examples: According to the ADAC, 36 percent of all accidents occur because the driver leaves his lane. Most of these accidents are caused by carelessness on a straight road.
The most important facts in brief
- Ranking: Tesla and Audi with the best lane assistants
- Lane keeping mandatory in all new cars from 2024
- Various systems: lane reminders, active assistants, emergency assistants
- Reliability is getting better
Lane Departure Warning and Automatic Lane Assist can help prevent these accidents. Not only in advertising, but also in real life. This driver assistance system is already available in numerous car models, and from 2024 it will be mandatory in all newly registered passenger cars.
Ranking: Tesla and Audi in the lead
But how good are the current systems? The ADAC has created a ranking based on the test results of the crash test organization Euro NCAP. The results are surprising: While the systems from Tesla and Audi achieve full points, Volvo, Mercedes and BMW end up far behind with their systems. How can that be? After all, Volvo is considered a pioneer in safety technology, Mercedes also offers very sophisticated systems that have been able to control the car almost alone for a generation of vehicles.
One reason: Euro NCAP only tests standard systems. However, BMW and Mercedes do not offer the full range of functions at no extra charge, which always costs extra. Audi, on the other hand, offers the tested functions as standard in many systems, and Tesla's Autopilot also costs nothing extra in the basic function. Only further features such as automatic lane changes have to be paid for.
Second reason: The manufacturers pursue different philosophies when it comes to voting. Volvo assistants intervene hard and roughly, and Audi and Tesla are also relying on more active systems. Mercedes, on the other hand, lets its assistant steer rather gently. In the test, however, the ADAC awards more points for a more active intervention. In the evaluation, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model X and Audi Q3 are at the top with 100 percent of the possible points each. This is followed by models from various manufacturers with also very good results. In addition to the percentage rating, the table shows which functions the assistant includes in each case.
| Model | Criteria | Active after restart | Detects roadside without markings | Protection against collisions with oncoming traffic | Lane keeping with dashed line | Lane keeping with solid line | Blind spot warning | Blind Spot Assist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 | 100 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Tesla Model X | 100 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Audi Q3 | 100 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Audi A1 | 88 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Citroën C5 Aircross | 88 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Ford Kuga | 88 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Seat Tarraco | 88 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Skoda Octavia | 88 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Skoda Scala | 88 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| VW Golf | 88 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| VW T-Cross | 88 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Kia Ceed | 81 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| VW Sharan | 81 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| VW Up | 81 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Hyundai Santa Fe | 81 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Peugeot 508 | 81 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| VW Touareg | 81 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Audi Q7 | 69 % | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Audi A6 | 69 % | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Nissan Leaf | 63 % | no | yes | no | yes | yes | no | no |
| Ford Focus | 56 % | no | yes | no | yes | yes | no | no |
| Ford Puma | 56 % | no | yes | no | yes | yes | no | no |
| Opel Corsa | 56 % | no | yes | no | yes | yes | no | no |
| Nissan Juke | 56 % | no | yes | no | yes | yes | no | no |
| Toyota Corolla | 56 % | no | yes | no | yes | yes | no | no |
| Volvo V60 | 56 % | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Mercedes B-Class | 50 % | yes | no | yes | no | yes | No | no |
| Renault Captur | 50 % | no | no | no | yes | yes | no | no |
| BMW 1 Series | 44 % | no | no | no | yes | yes | no | no |
| BMW 3 Series | 44 % | no | no | no | yes | yes | no | no |
| BMW X5 | 44 % | no | no | no | yes | yes | no | no |
What is Euro NCAP and how is it tested?
Euro NCAP is a consortium of professional organisations that assesses the safety of car models registered in Europe. In addition, there is a global organization (Global NCAP) and sister organizations in Asia and America. The members of Euro NCAP come from various European countries. These include car clubs such as the ADAC, testing organizations such as Dekra, the accident research of insurers and the transport ministries of several countries.
The organization is investigating lane departure warning systems in standardized procedures on the test track. They have to react to different road markings, such as solid and dashed lines. The score is based on how close the vehicle comes to the edge of the lane and when it countersteers. Models that also have Lane Change Assist or Blind Spot Assist receive additional points.
An exemplary look at the Mercedes B-Class shows why, among other things, Mercedes ends up so far behind. It received only 2 out of 4 points in the Lane Keeping Assistance test. Lane departure warning, active assistance and emergency assistance are standard equipment in the Mercedes van. However, the testers rate two out of three test parameters only as "adequate" and the support as low. A blind spot warning system costs extra and is therefore not taken into account. The coordination of the assistant is, as indicated, a question of philosophy. Mercedes tunes the assistants emphatically defensively, for reasons of comfort - but also to underline the purely supportive character. The driver should always be aware of his responsibility. Tesla and Audi are positioning their assistants more strongly as an intermediate step towards autonomous driving. Your systems are therefore more actively tuned.
Function and types of Lane Keeping Assist
Most Lane Keeping Assist uses a camera image to determine the vehicle's position relative to the lane markings. A few systems rely on infrared. The range of functions differs, as does the complexity of the calculations made by the underlying control units. These systems are currently offered:
Lane Departure Warning
Lane Departure Warning is the simplest form of Lane Keeping Assist. If the system detects that the lane line has been crossed, it warns in certain situations. The simplest systems only check whether a turn signal is set when leaving the lane. More sophisticated assistants recognize a deliberate steering movement. Depending on the car manufacturer, the warning is issued in different ways: via a flashing signal in the dashboard, a beep or a vibration in the steering wheel or in the seat.
Lane Keeping Assist with Steering Assistance
More complex systems convert the data from the front camera into permanent activity: the servo motors on the steering column gently "guide" the steering wheel and thus the driver's hand in the right direction. These systems also differ in whether they only evaluate the setting of the turn signal or interpret the driver's steering movements. In city traffic up to 60 km/h, the systems are often not active, nor at speeds above 200 km/h.
Lane Keeping Assist with automatic centering
Just a few years ago, Active Lane Keeping Assist only prevented people from crossing the lane line. If the driver remains passive, these systems can cause the car to swing from line to line. Advanced systems actively keep the car in the middle of the lane. Some systems only provide discreet steering assistance. Other systems can theoretically control the vehicle on their own. However, this is not allowed in 2020. These systems therefore ask the driver to take over the steering wheel again after a few seconds. If this does not happen, the support is interrupted.
Emergency Lane Departure Warning
The emergency lane departure warning system works in a similar technical way. However, it holds back most of the time and only intervenes when the vehicle threatens to leave its lane - or when the sensors otherwise detect a critical situation. In this case, however, some systems countersteer in a rustic manner to keep the vehicle in its lane. Some car manufacturers combine this function with brake intervention: the ESP system brakes the wheels on the inside of the lane to provide additional support for steering intervention and pull the car back into the lane.
Problems with Lane Keeping Assist
For Lane Keeping Assist to work, the technology that processes the camera image must reliably detect the lane markings. This is not a matter of course. In different countries, there are different colored markings of different widths. There are often contradictory markings in motorway construction sites. Darkness or bad weather mean that the lines are not easy to see. Lines may be missing or broken. Good assistants can even recognize the edge of the road if it is not marked by a line.
Manufacturers are succeeding in solving these problems with varying degrees of success. But: The systems are getting better. Unlike a few years ago, lane keepers now also work safely on country roads or in the dark. Some systems even manage to do this on construction sites. Progress is necessary, because from 2022 onwards, Lane Keeping Assist will be part of the mandatory safety equipment of all newly developed vehicle types. From 2024, it must be on board in all new cars.
Some drivers may not be happy about this, because another problem is the coordination of the systems. This is usually the responsibility of the car manufacturer and not the system supplier. Lane assistants can be annoying. Sometimes they beep for no apparent reason, sometimes they intervene in the steering. If you are not yet familiar with it, this can expose you to additional stress. Sometimes the assistant does not recognize a deliberate steering maneuver and works hard and actively against the driver's intention. Anyone who is "botched" in such a way may be unsettled.
So incapacitation of the driver? Anyone who switches off their assistant because of such experiences lacks support in an emergency. That's why many assistants include another "nicety": Lane Keeping Assist is always activated automatically when the car starts, even if it has been switched off beforehand. Car clubs such as the ADAC welcome this, saying that it is crucial that drivers familiarize themselves with how their assistant works instead of simply deactivating it.
Some customers expect too much from the lane departure warning systems. The manufacturers' marketing is partly to blame for this. A lane assistant cannot be an autopilot for legal reasons alone – even if Tesla calls the system that and even if Tesla offers one of the best systems on the market. All lane keeping systems available on the market so far are only allowed to assist and not to control the car themselves. Therefore, Lane Keeping Assist must be deactivated if the driver takes his hands off the steering wheel for too long. However, this could change as early as 2021. Then a regulatory proposal of the United Nations will come into force, which will allow self-steering systems, at least on motorways.
source : Comparison Lane Assist: Tesla and Audi are ahead | mobile.de