Euro NCAP has released crash safety scores for eight new cars – and just one of them failed to gain a five-star rating.
The VW Polo, Kia Sorento and Skoda Yeti all scored top marks in the tough new tests, as did two of the most efficient cars on the UK market: the third generation Toyota Prius and its main rival, the Honda Insight.
Subaru’s updated Legacy and the new Renault Grand Scenic also scored five out of five, but Citroen’s new C3 supermini managed only a four-star rating. Testers said it was let down by its poor protection against whiplash and the fact that electronic stability control is not offered as standard across the range.
Euro NCAP commended Toyota and Honda for developing hybrid vehicles that not only exceed the current targets for pedestrian protection, but already meet challenging 2012 targets.
Earlier this year, Euro NCAP revised its testing procedures to make it more difficult for cars to score a five-star rating. Changes included a new emphasis on electronic stability control (an important crash-avoidance technology) and a new ratings system for whiplash protection. In this latest batch of results the Honda Insight, Kia Sorento and Skoda Yeti were all marked out as offering good whiplash protection.
Click here to read the full Which? news release.
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