For many drivers, safety is the priority when buying a new car.
Cars sold in the UK are put through strict safety tests run by the European New Car Assessment Programme, or Euro NCAP for short.
A car is judged with a rating from zero to five stars, based on scores for adult occupant protection and child occupant protection, plus how well it protects vulnerable road users and the strength of its safety assist systems.
So which are the safest cars you can buy today? Read on to find out.
10 safest cars on sale in the UK
Toyota bZ4X
Adult occupant protection 88%
Child occupant protection 87%
Pedestrian protection 79%
Safety assist 91%
Total Euro NCAP score 345/400
Toyota’s first-ever electric car, the bZ4X entered the market as one of its highest scorers, scoring particularly well for safety assist, adult occupant protection and child occupant protection. Add daily usable performance, all-wheel drive and 259 miles of range, and you’ve got a compelling electric SUV.
Read our complete Toyota bZ4X review
Subaru Solterra
Adult occupant protection 88%
Child occupant protection 87%
Pedestrian protection 79%
Safety assist 91%
Total Euro NCAP score 345/400
Essentially the same car as the Toyota bZ4X but with its own bespoke styling, the Subaru Solterra scored an identical safety score to its sibling. You should also consider the Soltera for its comfortable ride, user-friendly layout and decent off-road ability.
Read our complete Subaru Solterra review
Polestar 2
Adult occupant protection 93%
Child occupant protection 89%
Pedestrian protection 80%
Safety assist 83%
Total Euro NCAP score 345/400
Polestar’s second car is one of the safest, scoring a total of 345 out of 400 in Euro NCAP’s safety tests. Its active safety systems were praised, as was its adult occupant protection. It’s one of the few cars you can buy today with all of its scores rated at or above 80%. An excellent pick for a safe electric car.
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Agree with others, NCAP is now irrelevant.
Can someone please explain to me how a car that has the vast majority of it controls contained in tablet touch screen not even in line with the drivers line of vision, can make top 10 - twice!
Back in the old days, publications like Autocar used to knock marks off manufacturers who mounted their radio cassettes low in the central dash whilst cars like VW Golf were praised for mounting them higher up in the console. We no longer care about that.
NCAP tests are now just a money making activity for NCAP. They award more points if your seatbelt buzzer has 2 tones! They change the rules every 3 years to force manufacturers to retest at huge expense. Some older cars dropped hugely in the rankings purely because they didn't have reverse pedestrian detection! Hardly relevant when you get sideswiped by a phone reading HGV driver.....