No matter who you are or how far you drive, choosing the safest car will most likely be a major priority.
Before going on sale, every car is put through strict safety tests run by the European New Car Assessment Programme, or Euro NCAP for short. It is judged from zero to five stars, based on scores for adult and child occupant protection, plus how well it protects vulnerable road users, and the strength of its safety systems.
But which cars are the safest you can buy today? Read on to find out.
10 safest cars on sale in the UK
1. Tesla Model S
Adult occupant protection: 94%
Child occupant protection: 91%
Pedestrian protection: 85%
Safety assist: 98%
Total Euro NCAP score: 368/400
The safest car on sale in the UK today is the Tesla Model S, which scores similarly to the larger Model Y but beat its electric sibling by four points. It came out on top with superb scores for child occupant protection and pedestrian protection. It excelled thanks to its performance in frontal, side and rear whiplash tests, plus its credentials for rescue, extrication and post-crash safety.
Read our complete Tesla Model S review
2. Tesla Model Y
Adult occupant protection: 97%
Child occupant protection: 87%
Pedestrian protection: 82%
Safety assist: 98%
Total Euro NCAP score: 364/400
The Tesla Model Y is one of the world’s safest crossovers, according to Euro NCAP. It scores a near-perfect 98% for safety assist - the joint-highest score for the category. It also scored 97% for adult occupant protection, 87% for child occupant protection and a respectable 82% for its protection of pedestrians.
Read our complete Tesla Model Y review
3. Lexus RX
Adult occupant protection: 90%
Child occupant protection: 87%
Pedestrian protection: 89%
Safety assist: 91%
Total Euro NCAP score: 357/400
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I guess you don't care for your family, for passing pedestrians and for the the whole humanity.
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.....