Three Mercedes feature in the 10 safest cars, while Tesla tops the list.
When the time comes to purchase a new car, you want to think about more than simply how many miles to the gallon you’re going to get.
How safe the vehicle is, and how well it will protect its occupants ‒ and other road users ‒ from being caught up in an accident is also of crucial importance.
One way of getting some insight into the safety of a vehicle you’re considering buying comes via the testing conducted by safety experts at Euro NCAP.
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What does Euro NCAP look for?
Cars are subjected to a host of tests and scored on how they perform against four categories.
Those are adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, vulnerable user protection (pedestrians and cyclists for example) and safety assist, which is an assessment of the technology included in the vehicle which will help the driver to be safer behind the wheel.
Those scores are then brought together to produce an overall rating out of five.
It’s worth flagging that Euro NCAP revamped its testing last year by introducing a new frontal offset test and a ‘mobile progressive deformable barrier’ test, which grades a car on how it protects its occupants as well as the risks it poses to the car it has crashed into.
Euro NCAP has just published the results of its latest batch of tests, with a handful of motors achieving the full five stars.
The experts at WhatCar? have crunched the numbers of the tests to establish the safest models around, which we’ve run through below, as well as what they are likely to cost you.
Joint 12th ‒ BMW X1/Mercedes EQS/Volkswagen ID.5/Volkswagen ID.4
Four cars share 12th position, having each scored a very respectable 343 combined from the various tests.
There are two very similar models in there too, with both the ID.4 and ID.5.
The team at WhatCar? noted that these cars are virtually identical when it comes to the interior and battery, but they also racked up a virtually identical performance in the safety tests.
Notably, both cars scored 93% when it comes to protecting adult occupants, and 89% when protecting children.
By contrast, the BMW X1 stood out because of its technology, scoring an impressive 92% in the safety assist category.
WhatCar? said the model enjoys “helpful, but non-intrusive,” driver assistance systems, such as its lane support and speed assistance systems.
Finally, the Mercedes EQS stood out for its protection of occupants, scoring 96% for adults and 91% for children. That was the highest adult protection score of any car tested last year.
When it comes to costs, the ID.4 comes with an RRP from £37,410, rising to from £49,045 for the ID.5.
The BMW X1 has an RRP starting at £35,130, making it the cheapest of the four, particularly in contrast to the EQS which will set you back a mighty £104,750.
Joint 8th ‒ Mazda CX-60/Mercedes C-Class
Again there is a tie in eighth position, with both the CX60 and the C-Class scoring 344 overall.
The CX-60 performed most impressively in the child protection category, scoring 91%.
It's also worth noting the 89% for pedestrian protection ‒ WhatCar? pointed out that the car has been designed to protect vulnerable road users, for example through its automatic braking system.
Prices start at £43,895.
With the C-Class, it’s the protection of adult occupants that stands out, with a score of 93%.
It was praised by the testers for its ‘active bonnet’, which goes up automatically to create a cushion above the engine.
It will set you back upwards of £41,445 if you want to snap up a C-Class new.
7 ‒ Polestar 2
With a score of 345 out of 400, the Polestar 2 turns up in seventh position. It was a consistent performer across the tests, with 93% for adult occupants, 89% for children, and 80% for pedestrian protection.
That last figure was in part due to its pop-up bonnet, while the testers also praised its various active safety systems, leading to a safety assist score of 83%.
Notably, drivers are able to improve that score in future thanks to access to over-the-air software updates.
If you want to purchase a Polestar 2, then its RRP starts at £42,150.
6 ‒ Genesis G80
The G80 is another car that performed well when it comes to technology, ratcheting up 91% in the safety assist category. It scored the same in adult occupant protection, with an overall score of 346.
It’s another motor that was praised for having an active bonnet too, and the protection this gives pedestrians in the event of a collision since it will prevent them from hitting the engine.
The Genesis G80 comes with an RRP of £38,900.
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5 ‒ Nissan Qashqai
The Qashqai is one of the UK’s best-selling cars, regularly featuring in the top-selling lists published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Thankfully that popularity is matched by its performance in these safety tests, where it scored 347 out of 400.
It has one of the best scores around for technology at a whopping 95%, while it also scored 91% for protection of both adult occupants and children.
By contrast, it only scored 70% for pedestrian protection, which is a fair bit lower than many other models on this list.
A new Qashqai will set you back upwards of £25,770.
4 ‒ Mercedes EQE
The EQE scored really well for occupants, notching up 95% for adult occupants and 91% for child occupants. Overall it scored 350 out of 400.
The testers praised the technology too, such as its lane assistance, as well as its active emergency stop function, which the NCAP said was the most advanced tested so far.
The idea is that if the driver becomes unresponsive, the system will guide the car to the hard shoulder automatically, rather than simply coming to a stop in the existing lane.
It’s not a cheap motor though ‒ the EQE has an RRP starting at £72.590.
3 ‒ Lexus NX
The new NX scored really well across the board ‒ 91% for adult occupants, 87% for children, 83% for pedestrians and 91% for its technology.
That led to a total of 352.
It’s a cracking car outside of its safety performance too, having won plug-in hybrid of the year in the WhatCar? awards.
It comes with an RRP starting at £40,249.
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2 ‒ Subaru Outback
The Outback scored a really impressive 356 out of 400 and is another that stood out for its tech. It notched up a whopping 95% in that category.
Its list of kit includes the likes of automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, traffic sign recognition and blindspot monitoring.
It also scored 88% and 89% respectively for protection occupants.
The Outback price starts from £33,920.
1 ‒ Tesla Model Y
First place goes to the Tesla Model Y (main article picture), which scored a monster 364 overall.
When it comes to protecting adult occupants, it managed an exceptional 97%, while when it comes to technology it managed a massive 98%. Those are both the highest scores seen to date.
The Tesla isn’t a cheap motor to snap up though, with an RRP starting at £51,000.
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