Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
EuroNCAP
Car Safety
Here are the safest cars on the market right now
Toyota, Hyundai and Volkswagen cars are deemed best in class.
EVERY YEAR THE Euro NCAP organisation tests the safety of new cars coming to the market and scores them accordingly.
This rating gives consumers key information that can play a big part in purchase decisions. The crash testing covers many standardised parameters with cars marked on an overall score from zero to five stars.
It also grades each car in areas of adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian safety and safety assist, which covers driver aids.
In the large family car segment, the Toyota Prius came out as the class leader, with a full five-star score.
It scored highly in the adult and child occupant categories, with 92 and 82 per cent respectively, while its pedestrian safety score hit 77 per cent and safety assist 85 per cent. The hybrid may have some distinctive styling, but Toyota has done an excellent job in ensuring this car is designed and built to a high safety standard.
Hyundai took top honours in the small family car category with its new Ioniq model range. This car has just gone on sale in Ireland and offers a choice of propulsion options ranging from conventional combustion engines to plug-in hybrid to full electric.
For passenger safety it scored 91 per cent for adults and 80 per cent for children. Pedestrian safety rated at 70 per cent with safety assist scoring 82 per cent.
In the small off-road category, it was the Volkswagen Tiguan that scored the best across all areas. Its five-star safety rating comprised 96 per cent adult and 84 per cent child protection, with a score of 72 per cent for pedestrians and safety assist at 68 per cent.
If there’s a particular car that you would like to know a safety score for, you can visit euroncap.com to view all the test results.
have your say