Service

Automotive Materials Testing

Supporting you along the entire product development and automotive supply chain for an optimized time to market.

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Materials testing for automotive programs

Whether you’re an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or supplier, our automotive materials testing services support your development lifecycle from planning and design to material selection and through Production Part Approval Process (PPAP).

We prepare samples, assess environmental performance, and execute testing programs aligned to global and OEM requirements, helping you efficiently demonstrate compliance.

From design to PPAP

We help you optimize time to market by planning, executing and managing test programs through to the PPAP, so your teams can move from concept to production with confidence.

OEM specifications and global standards

Our laboratories verify material and product performance to ISO, ASTM, VDA, UL, IEC, SAE, other international standards and OEM delivery specifications, delivering independent, reliable test results recognized worldwide. For enquiries regarding testing and certification to a specific standard, please contact our team directly using the contact button. 

Capabilities across materials and components

Mechanical testing

 We offer a broad variety of mechanical tests to meet your needs, from testing the properties of raw materials to studies of the properties of finished components, supported by a global network of laboratories. Explore detailed methods on our Automotive Mechanical Testing page.

Surface and coatings

Evaluate scratch resistance, adhesion, car‑wash simulation, stone‑hammer resistance and metallic coating thickness with methods mapped to DIN, ISO, VDA and OEM procedures. See Automotive Surface Testing for typical procedures and standards. 

Environmental influences

Simulate thermal shock (−70 °C to +200 °C), humidity, UV resistance, ozone and altitude to assess durability of interior and exterior components across the product life cycle. Details are outlined at Automotive Environmental Testing.

VOC emission and VIAQ

Determine interior component emissions using VDA/ISO methods (e.g., VDA 276, VDA 277, VDA 278, ISO 12219) and related odor/fogging protocols. Find out more at Automotive VOC Emission Testing and Compliance.

Optical evaluations

Assess color, gloss, haze and related appearance properties for plastics to align with OEM expectations; see Automotive Optical Evaluations for method coverage.

Electrical Testing for Plastics

Determine the electric properties of your plastic material with our comprehensive offering of testing methods. See Electrical Testing for Plastics for more information.

Battery enclosure materials (BEMS)

Screen battery enclosure materials for thermal/mechanical performance during a thermal runaway event per UL 2596; visit Battery Enclosure Material Screening (BEMS).

Why UL Solutions

Single‑source workflow

Access compounding trials, injection‑molded test‑specimen production, and end‑to‑end testing and certification for thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and composites, in one coordinated workflow.

Independent, third-party testing

Rely on our global testing centers to check alignment to international standards and customer delivery specifications, helping reduce internal lab burden while strengthening confidence in your data.

Faster time to market

Our automated equipment and subject‑matter expertise can help you accelerate turnaround and keep development on schedule.

Related services and next steps

Automotive component testing

Move beyond materials to automotive component testing. We evaluate both individual components and completed assemblies (e.g., shock, vibration, ingress protection, thermal shock, and more) to your performance specifications. See Automotive Component Performance Testing for full scope.

Automotive materials analysis

For deeper automotive materials analysis, explore Plastics Testing and Certification (UL 94/746 series, long‑term thermal aging), Mechanical Tests for Plastics, and Chemical Resistance Tests for Plastics (including media aging and fuel resistance).

Automotive production testing

Bridge development to production with PPAP‑aligned workflows on this page and system‑level validation via component performance testing, a practical path to automotive production testing needs.

Automotive hose testing

If your program includes coolant hoses, HVAC lines or battery cooling systems, see Automotive Fluids and Fuels Testing for fluid compatibility and system‑level considerations.

Vehicle safety and quality

Complement materials work with software/system expertise and electrical and component compliance under Vehicle Safety and Quality, spanning functional safety and more.

Frequently asked questions

We verify performance to ISO, ASTM, VDA, UL and customer delivery specifications and apply OEM‑specific procedures where required, including VOC/VIAQ methods (e.g., VDA 276/277/278, ISO 12219).

Our team plans, executes and manages testing through the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), helping you demonstrate compliance as parts transition to production.

Yes. We offer sample preparation (including injection‑molded plaques) and end‑to‑end test program management as part of a single‑source workflow for materials.  

Yes. Beyond materials, we conduct automotive component testing on individual parts and completed assemblies, including shock, vibration and ingress testing to industry methods.  

We can simulate −70 °C to +200 °C thermal conditions and expose parts to artificial weathering such as humidity, UV, ozone, altitude and cyclic climate change to reveal potential weaknesses early.  

We apply thermal desorption and chamber methods at material and component levels (e.g., VDA 276/277/278, ISO 12219), along with odor/fogging evaluations, and support broader vehicle interior air quality programs.

We combine surface durability (scratch, adhesion, stone‑hammer, car‑wash simulation) with optical evaluations (color, gloss, haze) to align materials with OEM appearance targets.