In order to use composite materials in automotive production while ensuring that passengers safety it is crucial to fully understand the strain rate effect on their mechanical properties.This study implements a strain rate dependent 3-point bending test setup for a high rate servo-hydraulic testing machine. A finite element model to simulate strain rate dependent 3-point bending tests has been created and used for the validation of material cards that consider strain rate dependent material properties.The test setup developed allows the correct characterisation of the strain rate dependent 3-point bending tests. The study also demonstrates that strain rate effects can be successfully considered in finite element simulations.