Top 10 safest cars of 2017
When buying a new car, safety should always be a top priority – particularly for families who have children to keep safe and sound. Here are our top picks of the safest cars on the market…
1. Volkswagen Arteon
Examined this year, Euro NCAP has given the luxury hatchback a five-star overall rating. In greater detail, with an 85% pedestrian protection score, the Arteon is a market leader.
A lot of this comes down to its pedestrian-monitoring features, with the bonnet of the bold vehicle popping up in the event of a collision, reducing the impact of potential head injuries.
At 96%, the car also has a near-perfect adult occupant score – how well adult passengers are protected – as well as a score of 85% for protecting younger passengers.
As safety features go, Volkswagen’s top-of-the-range motor has Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and lane-keeping assistance.
With all those top features, it’s no wonder the Arteon comes out on top!
2. Volvo V90 estate
When Volvo invented the three-point seatbelt in 1959, it all but secured its place as one of the most safety-conscious manufacturers around. The Euro NCAP scores for the V90 estate do nothing to refute the brand’s track record.
With a 95% score for protecting adult occupants, 80% for child occupants and 76% for pedestrians, the V90 estate is consistent across the board, and far above the average of many other cars on the road.
The V90 also has a 93% score for safety assist thanks to a seemingly endless list of features. Adaptive cruise control, Pilot Assist lane-keeping assistance and City Safe advanced automatic braking system, detecting and avoiding accidents with pedestrians, cyclists and large animals. We could go on, but we think you get the gist…
3. Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport
It’s safe to say the Vauxhall’s sporty hatchback has a lot going on. So much so, that the safety features are probably better in list form:
- AEB as standard
- Lane-departure warning, also as standard
- Head-up display projecting information at eye-level on the car’s windscreen – fitted to all models
- Active LED headlights that adjust to prevent dazzling oncoming traffic on every Insignia Grand Sport
- Optional OnStar system calls emergency services if the airbags deploy and alert them to your location
- An elective SOS button also accesses the OnStar service, giving priority over concierge service users
See what we mean.
4. Toyota C-HR SUV
The Japanese manufacturer’s Safety Sense pack comes as standard with the C-HR, and includes automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection and lane-departure warning technology.
The SUV also has some impressive accident prevention features, including road-sign recognition with optional blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. We’d sure feel safe in this SUV.
5. Alfa Romeo Stelvio
The first 4×4 SUV for Alfa Romeo, the Stelvio has been launched to compete with Audi’s Q5 and BMW’s 5 series. In terms of safety, however, it blows both out of the water.
In crash prevention, the Stelvio scores 97% for adult occupant protection and 84% for child protection, while lane departure warning, autonomous emergency braking and speed limit cruise control are all fitted as standard.
6. Nissan Micra
The Micra has made great strides to overcome its dowdy image over the last few years and the latest generation is racier, sleeker and much sharper in terms of design. In fact, Auto Express says the hatchback is “one of the most-improved cars of recent years”!
A standard safety pack on the Micra includes lane-keeping assistance and autonomous emergency braking, achieving the full five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP.
7. Land Rover Discovery
Sleek and comfortable, the Discovery has always been a family favourite, and with its standard safety features, it’s clear it has no intention of falling out of favour.
Autonomous emergency braking and lane-departure warnings are fitted across the range. An optional technology pack will also add driver tiredness detection system and adaptive cruise control. No wonder it’s a top seller!
8. Audi Q5
As SUV’s go, the latest generation Q5 has some pretty impressive stats, including a 93% rating for adult occupant protection score and 86% child protection rating.
As standard, you get autonomous emergency braking and for a little extra, you can bag yourself intuitive LED ”matrix” headlamps that shape their beams to reduce their impact on oncoming drivers. No more blinding lights at night sure sounds good to us.
9. BMW 5 series
Although the standard safety features on the 5-series are lacking, especially for the price, the options in its driver assistance pack have secured it a place as one of the safest cars on the road.
Autonomous emergency braking and semi-autonomous driving features, including lane-keeping assistance and active cruise control are all on offer in this prestigious saloon.
10. Seat Ibiza
Autonomous emergency braking is fitted as standard on this compact hatchback, while cruise control and a driver tiredness detection system can be added as options – all contributing to the Ibiza’s overall five-star Euro NCAP rating.
And there you have it, our list of top 10 safest cars. Which one takes your fancy?
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