ClicWhat Car? has named the 10 finalists in its Thatcham Research partnered Safety Award.
The list of 10 cars taken from the 2016 Euro NCAP ratings, all meet the strict criteria for the award, which includes track-based testing of collision avoidance systems and achieving top marks in crash tests – all part of the five star rating system.
Safety technology fitted to the vehicle must include; AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking) fitted as standard and some form of Safety Assist technology beyond NCAP assessment such as lane keeping systems. The cars are then judged on market relevance and value for money. All 2017 long list finalists also feature pedestrian, low speed city and high speed inter-urban AEB as standard. A major step forward in safety for mainstream vehicles and in manufacturer commitment to safety, as Euro NCAP testing for pedestrian AEB was only introduced in January 2016.
The 2017 long list includes:
Alfa Romeo Giulia
Audi Q2
Ford Edge
Hyundai Ioniq
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Peugeot 3008
Renault Scenic
Seat Ateca
Toyota Prius
VW Tiguan
Thatcham Research chief executive, Peter Shaw, said, ‘These 10 vehicles represent some of the safest cars on sale in the UK today, and we are delighted to see that by raising awareness of the important issues surrounding vehicle safety, manufacturers are starting to rise to our challenge of fitting safety as standard across all models, regardless of segment or price.’
Steve Huntingford, editor What Car? said, ‘Safety is a key consideration for new car buyers, particularly when the car they’re choosing is going to be used as family transport. At What Car? we feel it’s important to reflect that by presenting a standalone Safety Award, and having Thatcham Research on the judging panel gives that award a unique credibility. Nobody has more experience in this field.’
Volvo’s XC90 won the 2016 award.
