Of the eight new cars submitted for the latest round of Euro NCAP safety testing, seven have driven away with the full five stars. Only the new Citroen C3 failed to achieve the maximum award, after being marked down for poor pedestrian protection and for failing to offer enough models with Electronic Stability Control as standard.

Pedestrian protection is an issue Euro NCAP believes manufacturers are paying more attention to now, following new European regulations this year. Toyota and Honda are already leading the way, with both registering pedestrian scores notably higher than their rivals'. Euro NCAP praised the Honda, Kia and Skoda for their good whiplash protection, while the C3's was criticised as 'poor'.
The complete list of five-star winners is as follows:

Honda Insight
Kia Sorento
Renault Grand Scenic
Skoda Yeti
Subaru Legacy
Toyota Prius
VW Polo

The increasing number of five-star ratings collected by makers, particularly compared to the first few years of NCAP testing in 1996, has led some to question whether cars are being designed simply to pass the tests, with less regard to 'real world' safety. However, we believe that these claims are unfounded, particularly as the scope of crash testing is getting broader and makers are introducing ever more passive and active safety features. See our recent report on the latest efforts by Mercedes-Benz as an example.

Mark Nichol - 28 Aug 2009