Leuven, Belgium – Refuse trucks provide an essential public service, but the nature of their role means they present potential hazards to both operators and other road users. Operating conditions that include frequent stops and starts, passing traffic, and people working near the vehicle pose substantial challenges for vehicle manufacturers in designing and delivering safe vehicles. These challenges make it even more remarkable that Scania’s new L-series has swept to a five-star rating in Euro NCAP tests – and earned the CitySafe seal of approval.

After assessing the L-series in 6x2 rigid configuration with a refuse compactor body (other configurations are also available) in its 270-kW electric powertrain, the 20-tonne utility truck was praised by Euro NCAP’s experts for its performance in both Safe Driving and Collision Avoidance categories.

Part of the secret to the L-series’ success is Scania’s decision to make the full suite of driver assistance safety systems available as an option, which effectively supports the truck driver during stop-start routes in busy environments. Noteworthy features include geofenced speed limiting and a cyclist dooring feature that warns when a door is being opened into the path of an approaching vehicle or cyclist.