SHARP 5-star motorcycle helmets: the method, what the rating measures and the 2026 ranking

"Five SHARP stars" has become a sales pitch. It's also one of the few independent indicators of how well a motorcycle helmet protects, and it's worth understanding what it really says before you use it to choose.

This ranking contains only ratings read directly from the official database at sharp.dft.gov.uk, as of 16 October 2026. No rating is inferred, none is copied from a retailer's site.

SHARP in two minutes

SHARP (Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme) is a UK government scheme, funded by the Department for Transport since 2007. Its principle: buy helmets from ordinary retailers, like any customer, and put them through a more complete set of impacts than the approval test.

The protocol, as described on SHARP's testing page:

The result is a single rating from 1 to 5 stars. Five stars means, in SHARP's words, good levels of protection all around the helmet, not just in one favourable area.

What the rating measures, and what it doesn't

It measures how well the helmet absorbs impact energy and, since oblique tests were added, part of the risk linked to head rotation. That's the essential part.

It doesn't measure:

• fit on your head, which conditions everything else (a helmet that's too big moves in an impact);
• open-face helmets, which SHARP doesn't test, having no chin bar;
• noise, ventilation, fogging, the visor;
• durability: the rating describes a new helmet, not one with five years of sun and sweat.

Two more limits to keep in mind. The rating applies to the version tested: a model re-badged 22.06, or a new generation with the same name, doesn't inherit the old rating. And the protocol is being revised ("SHARP 2025", run with the TRL laboratory), with no published date so far: future ratings may not be directly comparable with older ones.

Reading a helmet's page on the site

Each SHARP page shows a diagram of the helmet with the five zones colour-coded at each of the three speeds. A green zone at 8.5 m/s is a very good sign; a red zone at low speed is a bad sign even if the overall rating is decent. The page also gives the recorded weight, the UK RRP at the time of test, the test date and the fastening type.

This zone-by-zone reading is what lets you separate two 4-star helmets: one may be weak at the rear, the other consistent but a notch lower everywhere.

The ranking: the 15 five-star helmets approved to 22.06

SHARP lists 83 five-star helmets since 2007, but most are older generations approved to 22.05 that you can no longer buy new. Here are those listed in their 22.06 version, ranked by UK price at test.

The weight shown is the one on the SHARP page (size tested); it can differ by a few dozen grams from the maker's claimed weight for a size M. Prices are those recorded at test, so today's street prices are often lower: for French prices and more, see our comparison by budget.

The shortlist, budget by budget

Tight budget (under £150 at test): the MT Stinger 2 and the Airoh Connor are the two cheapest 5-star full-faces on the market. The MT Braker SV adds a sun visor. You give up weight and quietness, not measured protection.

Mid-range (£150 to £400): the Airoh Spark 2, with a Pinlock in the box, is the most complete. The Nexx Y100 and the (pricier) Shoei Glamster 06 are the two 5-star neo-retros, useful if you ride a vintage-style naked and have so far refused to give up your open-face.

Top end (over £400): the AGV K6 S for lightness (1.2 kg recorded by SHARP, the lightest in the table), the Shoei GT-Air 3 for touring, the Shoei Neotec 3 if you want a flip-front, the Arai RX-7V Evo or Airoh GP800 for sport and track days.

For a flip-front, the Neotec 3 is the only 22.06-generation model combining 5 stars with latching above 90%. Other options and their percentages are in our full-face, flip-front and open-face comparison.

Four stars isn't a bad helmet

Of the 589 helmets in the database, 278 have four stars, 154 three, 74 two or one. A 4-star helmet is therefore near the top of the pile. Between a 5-star helmet that squeezes your temples and a perfectly fitting 4-star one, take the latter: a badly fitting helmet loses part of the protection measured on the rig.

Conversely, be wary of 1 and 2 stars, even when approved: they clear the legal bar, but with little margin beyond it. You'll mostly find them among older entry-level 22.05 generations, as our investigation into budget helmets shows.

How to buy using SHARP

1. Make your list by format and budget (full-face, flip-front; price).
2. Look up each model on sharp.dft.gov.uk, exact version (watch suffixes: Y100 and Y.100R, K6 and K6 S are not the same helmets).
3. Drop anything under 4 stars, then, for a flip-front, anything under 80% latching.
4. Try the survivors on in store: head shape, pressure points, rotation. SHARP's own fitting guide is a good companion, and the basics are in our guide to choosing a motorcycle helmet.
5. Check the ECE 22.06 label sewn on the chin strap before you pay.

A helmet that isn't in the database isn't bad for all that: it's simply unrated. In that case approval remains the minimum guarantee, and the brand's record on its other tested models gives an indication.

---

A question about caring for a helmet, how long a shell lasts or what to replace after a crash? Ask the assistant.