The Safest Cars to Drive in the UK in 2019
In 2019, twenty-four cars have received the 5-star rating from the Euro NCAP tests, an EU vehicle safety rating system. We've condensed the data to highlight the very best across the 4 main safety categories.
The primary criteria for the NCAP tests are as follows: - Adult Protection
- Child Protection
- Pedestrian Protection
- Safety Assist
Adult Protection
The car to score highest for Adult Protection is the Mazda 3 which scored 98%.
First produced in 2003, the Mazda 3 has had its most recent generation released this year. While it scored extremely well in all the measured criteria, it is your best choice for those looking for adult safety.
Child Protection
If protection for your child is your concern then according to Euro NCAP the Mercedes-Benz CLA is best.
Receiving a 91% rating. An extremely popular car, selling 750,000 units of its first generation, the CLA has a relatively modest price for a Mercedes-Benz, and is well suited to being a family car.
Pedestrian Protection
There are two cars which have equally scored the highest for pedestrian protection, the Mercedes-Benz CLA and the BMW Z4 in-which both scored 91%.
As we have previously talked about the CLA, we’ll focus on the Z4. The BMW Z series goes all the way back to 1989, but only picked up the name BMW Z4 in 2002. The most recent iteration was introduced in 2018.
Safety Assist
It comes as no surprise to us that the Tesla Model 3 scores highest for safety assist.
Being apart of the Elon Musk family, the Tesla Model 3 is made to push the capabilities of cars. Its high safety assist score of 94% is earned by its auto-pilot feature, ultrasonic sensors and forward-facing radar.
The Overall Winner
The car that has the overall best score, thus the safest car, out of the 24 5-star awarded cars, is the Mercedes-Benz CLA.
As it’s already featured twice as the best car for pedestrian protection and child protection it comes as little surprise that the CLA has the overall highest combined results.
It scored a 96% for adult protection, 91% for child protection, 91% for pedestrian protection, 75% for safety assist and 88.25% average.