The Six Safest Cars

If you’re a car fanatic – as you most likely are given you’re reading our site – you will be familiar with the way that most motoring television shows review vehicles. A great deal of focus is put on power, and speed, and whether the car can outrun a gazelle or a fighter jet or Usain Bolt on a Segway or if you can even get temporary car insurance cover on it. But what about everyday concerns, what about safety?

Whilst the TV shows may sidestep safety, it should be a key consideration point. How protected are you and your loved ones when out on the road should always be of a concern as you get behind the wheel. Thankfully vehicles are getting safer, and there are an increasing number of organisations which test to see just how safe our cars are, such as the Euro NCAP. Every year Euro NCAP organises crash-tests and gives realistic advice to consumers on the safest cars on the market.

Here are the six safest cars on European roads today, as per Euro NCAP’s 2012 vehicle testing which looks at four key areas; adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist systems.

Renault Clio
The safest car in the ‘Supermini’ category, the Renault Clio scored an impressive 99% in Euro NCAP’s safety assist system area with effective seatbelt reminders for all occupants as well as speed limitation assistance and electronic stability control.

Volvo V40
Top amongst the ‘Small Family’ car category for safety is the Volvo V40. The five-door vehicle scored very efficiently for ‘adult occupant safety’ for both front and side impact with the seat and head restraints providing good protection against whiplash injury in the event of a rear-end collision.

BMW 3 Series
Leading the field when it comes to safety in ‘Large Family’ vehicle, like the Volvo V40, the BMW 3 Series scored particularly well when it came to adult occupant safety. The vehicle offers good protection to all areas of the body for adult passengers of varying sizes according to Euro NCAP’s data.

FIAT 500L
For cars in the ‘Small MPV’ category then the Fiat 500L continues to pave the way when it comes to safety. Key to the Fiat 500L’s effective scoring was the vehicle’s City Brake Control, an autonomous emergency braking system which helps the driver to avoid a low-speed crash by using sensors to detect potential accident points.

Ford Kuga
Leaving the other vehicles trailing in the ‘Small Off-Road 4×4’ vehicle section is the Ford Kuga thanks chiefly to its 100% score in Euro NCAP’s ‘safety assist’ category. The Kuga’s SYNC Emergency Assistance feature helped secure this rating; SYNC makes an automatic call to the emergency services if the Kuga is involved in a serious accident giving the vehicle’s GPS position as it does.

Hyundai Santa Fe
When it comes to safety amongst the ‘Large Off-Road 4×4’ category then the Hyundai Santa Fe sits as top dog. Performing particularly well for the safety of child occupants the Hyundai Santa Fe allows for the passenger airbag to be disabled if a rear facing safety seat is placed on the passenger seat.

When it comes to safety and security it is important to make sure you have all your bases covered. Even when making a short or one-off journey it is important to ensure you have appropriate short-term car insurance in place. So next time you’re looking to buy a new vehicle, forget how impressive the car looks when racing a camel, or being turned into a speedboat, or taking the road to Damascus on a single tank of petrol, and instead take account of the vehicle’s safety performance a little more closely instead.