15 safest cars on sale in the UK

Since 1997, the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) has been testing new cars launched for safety and security, awarding star ratings that consumers can use as a guide.

Euro NCAP undertakes a range of vehicle tests that are meant to replicate real-life crash scenarios that could result in car occupants or other road users being injured or killed. The number of stars awarded after the series of tests reflects how well the car performs, but they are also influenced by the safety equipment fitted to the vehicle.

Cars are assessed in four main areas:

• Adult Occupant Protection: this score is determined from frontal impact, lateral impact and whiplash tests, to evaluate the protection of adult driver and passengers.
• Child Occupant Protection: this covers the protection offered by the child restraint systems in frontal and side impact tests; the vehicle’s ability to accommodate child restraints of various sizes; and the availability of provisions for safe transport of children in the car.
• Vulnerable Road User (VRU) Protection: these tests assess how well vehicles protect vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, in a collision.
• Safety Assist: this score is determined from tests of driver assist technologies that are designed to support safe driving and mitigate accidents.

Together, the four scores are used to calculate a car’s overall rating, on a scale of one and five stars, with five-star cars offering the best crash protection.

In recent years, car manufacturers have incorporated stronger steel and other metals into their vehicles, creating cars that are better at withstanding impacts. This means that the focus has shifted to electronic safety features such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). If these features are not included as standard on models, Euro NCAP offers a dual rating: one for the standard car and another for a car with the additional optional safety features.

We’ve pored over the most recent ratings and selected the safest cars currently on the market. All have five stars, so we’ve also looked at the four different test areas to determine which cars are the safest.

1. Hyundai IONIQ 6

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 97%
• Child occupant: 87%
• Vulnerable road users: 66%
• Safety assist: 90%

Hyundai’s latest EV has impressed in a number of different departments, but the IONIQ 6 has also proved to be one of the safest cars you can buy at the moment. The adult occupant rating of 97% is currently the highest of all the recently tested cars and the safety assist rating is also among the best, but the VRU rating offers room for improvement.

2. smart #1

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 96%
• Child occupant: 89%
• Vulnerable road users: 71%
• Safety assist: 88%

The first car from a new model line-up from Smart, the #1 is an EV that impresses with its crash test scores. A 96% adult occupant rating is impressive, with the test report highlighting the front seats and headrests demonstrating good protection against whiplash in the event of a rear shunt. Also highlighted was the advanced eCall system that automatically alerts the emergency services in the event of a crash.

3. Mercedes EQS

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 96%
• Child occupant: 91%
• Vulnerable road users: 76%
• Safety assist: 80%

Mercedes-Benz is a carmaker with one of the strongest track records in safety, so it’s no surprise that its flagship EQS performs well in the Euro NCAP tests. As befits a car that is designed to carry people in luxury, there are safety features aplenty, helping it attain a 96% adult occupant rating and 80% safety assist rating for the plethora of electronics onboard.

4. Mercedes-EQ EQE

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 95%
• Child occupant: 91%
• Vulnerable road users: 83%
• Safety assist: 81%

Mercedes-Benz’s all-electric executive saloon reinforces the brand’s reputation for safety with a rating that actually improves on the larger EQS in some areas. For example, its vulnerable user score is higher, with its ‘active bonnet’ feature – the EQE has sensors in the bumper that detect when a pedestrian has been struck, which automatically lifts the bonnet to stop them hitting the more solid bits underneath – cited as a factor by testers

5. Volkswagen Taigo

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 94%
• Child occupant: 84%
• Vulnerable road users: 71%
• Safety assist: 70%

The Volkswagen Taigo is structurally identical to the Polo hatchback, sharing the same level of safety equipment. However, Euro NCAP conducted additional tests to ensure that it replicated the results from the Polo tests. Indeed, it scored better than the Polo in child occupant protection (84% compared to the Polo’s 80%) and is 1% better in the vulnerable road user category.

6. Volkswagen Polo

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 94%
• Child occupant: 80%
• Vulnerable road users: 70%
• Safety assist: 70%

It might be a small car, but the Polo is certainly mighty in its safety performance, with Euro NCAP stating that the car remained stable in the frontal offset crash test. The verdict also said that the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection whiplash, if the car had rear-end collision, as did the rear seats. A 70% driver assist rating for tech designed to prevent an accident is also impressive for a small hatchback.

7. Polestar 2

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 93%
• Child occupant: 89%
• Vulnerable road users: 80%
• Safety assist: 83%

A car built by a company closely linked to Volvo, such as the Polestar 2, is always going to have an impressive safety score, so it’s no surprise that this premium EV did well in Euro NCAP tests. A score of 80% for vulnerable road user protection and 83% for the safety assist category are impressive, reflecting how the development of advanced safety has always been a speciality of Swedish carmakers.

8. Mercedes C-Class

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 93%
• Child occupant: 89%
• Vulnerable road users: 80%
• Safety assist: 82%

The previous generation of the C-Class model was also a five-star car when tested by Euro NCAP in 2014, so the fact that the current version does so well in the latest tests is pretty much business usual. It has strong scores across all four main categories, gaining maximum points in the side-pole impact test, which replicates a car hitting a tree or similar. An 82% safety assist rating also demonstrates the progress Mercedes has made in developing electronic active safety features.

9. Cupra Born

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 93%
• Child occupant: 89%
• Vulnerable road users: 73%
• Safety assist: 80%

The Born, from Seat’s Cupra premium sub-brand, performed well across the board. The post-test report noted that the Born scored maximum points in the side-barrier impact test and that the head restraints provide good whiplash protection. The 89% child occupant score should also provide peace of mind for parents considering the Born.

10. Ora Funky Cat

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 92%
• Child occupant: 83%
• Vulnerable road users: 74%
• Safety assist: 93%

The Ora Funky Cat has a five-star rating to go with its five-star name, but what is perhaps more significant is that a car from a Chinese brand is achieving such a high score: not so long ago, the first Chinese models imported into Europe struggled to score well in Euro NCAP tests. That seems to be old news now, though, as the Funky Cat posted impressive numbers in every category, but particularly in safety assist, where 93% is the highest score received by any car in the last two years.

11. Volkswagen ID Buzz

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 92%
• Child occupant: 87%
• Vulnerable road users: 60%
• Safety assist: 90%

We’re big fans of the Volkswagen ID Buzz, so we’re delighted to learn that the all-electric people carrier is as safe as it is cool. Adult and child occupant scores of 92% and 87% respectively are suitably impressive for a vehicle that is all about family motoring, while the 90% safety assist score also reflects the high-tech nature of the ID Buzz’s onboard equipment. The 60% score for vulnerable users lets it down somewhat, with testers pointing out how protection of a pedestrian’s pelvis was “almost completely poor”.

12. Mercedes-Benz GLC

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 92%
• Child occupant: 90%
• Vulnerable road users: 74%
• Safety assist: 84%

The small SUV from Mercedes-Benz adds another accolade to the German brand’s safety record, with the GLC posting the kind of scores we’ve come to expect. Testers cited a stable passenger compartment in the frontal offset test, the advanced eCall system and a ‘Post-Collision Brake’ system that applies the brakes to prevent secondary collisions. The test report also mentioned that the GLC would be “a somewhat aggressive partner in a frontal collision”, which suggests it would come out of a collision better than the other vehicle.

13. Volvo C40 Recharge

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 92%
• Child occupant: 89%
• Vulnerable road users: 70%
• Safety assist: 89%

It’s a Volvo, so of course it’s going to be safe. The Swedish carmaker has arguably the best reputation for vehicle safety, being responsible for many of the innovations we now take for granted, such as the three-point seatbelt. In the modern era, Volvo continues to keep its customers safe, with the C40 Recharge all-electric small SUV posting high scores in three of the four categories: the 70% vulnerable user rating is a work-on that we’re sure Volvo is already seeking to improve.

14. Genesis G80

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 91%
• Child occupant: 87%
• Vulnerable road users: 77%
• Safety assist: 91%

With Hyundai achieving high ratings for its most recent models, it follows that its Genesis premium sub-brand is also going to do well in Euro NCAP’s tests. The G80 luxury saloon received a 91% result for adult occupants and an 87% child occupant score, both of which are impressive. The 91% safety assist score also reflects the high level of advanced electronic safety features fitted as standard.

15. Lexus NX

• Star rating: 5*
• Adult occupant: 91%
• Child occupant: 87%
• Vulnerable road users: 83%
• Safety assist: 91%

The Lexus NX, a small SUV from Toyota’s premium offshoot, scored well in all four categories in the latest NCAP tests, excelling in the 91% safety assist score particularly standing out. An 87% score in the child occupant category means that parents will be happy considering the NX as a family car, while the adult occupant score of 91% means that they’ll also be safe in the event of a collision.

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