Each year, Euro NCAP publishes a list of "Best Cars in its Class" to indicate which vehicles are safer than competitors released in the same calendar year.
To compile the rating of the safest cars, a weighted total of points is used in four major areas:
- how well the adult passenger and driver are protected;
- how well protected the child is in the car;
- whether the safety of people outside the car (pedestrians) is ensured;
- what security systems are available in the car.
Here are the cars that are recognized Euro NCAP safest in the world.
The safest large SUV - Volvo XC60
This Swedish car got an almost perfect figure of 98% in the category “Adult driver and passenger safety”. In the category in which various electronic “driver's assistants” are evaluated, such as stability control systems and lane management systems, the Volvo model gained 95 percent, which is 20 percent higher than its closest competitor.
The XC60, along with the S90 and V90, allowed Volvo Cars to go down in history as the first automaker to conduct all three car tests in the Euro NCAP (AEB) autonomous emergency braking tests - City, Inter-Urban and Pedestrian. Three Volvo cars are the only cars that have achieved excellent results in all three AEB categories.
In 2017, the XC60 was named "Machine of the Year" in Japan.
The safest executive car - Volkswagen Arteon
This luxury liftback is located in the premium segment of one of the largest automotive companies, so it is not surprising that it is the epitome of reliability.
He received a five-star overall rating and impressive safety indicators for the driver and passenger - 96%. The child safety score was 85%, which is comparable to the safety offered by competitors such as the BMW 5 Series. But Arteon's pedestrian protection rate (85%) is far ahead of expensive rivals.
Along with a large number of airbags and driver assistance systems, such as automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control, Arteon has a pedestrian monitoring system. Thanks to her, the driver will be aware in advance of people on the side of the road.
And if the worst happens, the “active” Arteon hood will lift up to reduce the likelihood of an unhappy pedestrian head injury.
Best Safe Compact Crossover - Volkswagen T-Roc
The Volkswagen T-Roc is another impressively safe car with 96% protection for the driver and adult passenger according to the Euro NCAP crash test.
Its 87% passenger-child protection rating is one of the best results in the car market, and confirms the status of T-Roc as a very attractive family car. Each model has six airbags and adaptive cruise control, allowing you to maintain a given distance from the car going in front.
In addition to high safety standards, the German crossover has a very beautiful appearance, a comfortable interior and excellent handling. However, it is quite expensive compared to many compact competitors-SUVs.
The safest compact hatchback - Volkswagen Polo
Volkswagen is a brand that is associated with very high quality. And the results of the crash tests Euro NCAP only confirm the impeccable reputation of the German automaker.
VW Polo earned 96% Euro NCAP points for protecting the driver and adult. Even in the basic configuration, the machine is equipped with an anti-lock system, which significantly reduces the likelihood of an accident and subsequent injuries.
Polo's safety can be enhanced with a number of additional features - blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alerts and active cruise control.
The safest compact van - Opel Crossland X
This is the fourth (and last) “German” in the top safest cars of 2018. The best protection is for an adult driver and passenger (85%), a little less for a passenger-child (84%), and pedestrian safety is 62%, which is good, but does not reach the level of many competing cars.
Best compact family cars - Subaru XV and Subaru Impreza
In the nomination "family car" immediately included two good and reliable cars. Each one is superbly equipped and built to the standards expected of Japanese cars.
Both cars scored the same number of points - 35.8 or 94% for adult safety and 89% for child safety. As for the safety of the pedestrian, then with this the models are all right - 82%.
Euro NCAP experts call Ford Mustang and Fiat Punto hatch the most unreliable passenger cars
The Mustang test was based on the 2015 model, however Ford added new safety features such as pedestrian detection, direct collision warning and autonomous emergency braking to the new models ordered after May 2017. This new product has yet to pass a crash test.