Euro NCAP praises Leaf and Focus

25 May 2011

Nissan Leaf gets five-star NCAP rating
Ford Focus picks up two awards
Four other cars tested

The Nissan Leaf has been awared a five-star crash-test rating from Euro NCAP

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The Nissan Leaf electric car has gained a five-star crash-test rating from Euro NCAP.

Euro NCAP says the Leaf is the first car of its type to get the top rating, with the organisation praising the car for keeping its occupants protected and minimising damage to the car's battery pack in the event of a crash.

Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP secretary general, said: 'The Nissan Leaf proves that electric vehicles can be equally as safe as conventional cars. The standard is now set for the next generation of cars on the European market.'

The Leaf 's scores
89% for adult occupant protection
83% for child occupant
65% for pedestrian safety
84% for safety assist

New Ford Focus tested
The latest Ford Focus has also been crash-tested by Euro NCAP and it also received a five-star rating.

The Ford Focus's scores were:
Adult occupant 92%
Child occupant 82%
Pedestrian 72%
Safety assist 71%

The Focus also received two awards from Euro NCAP for new safety features – Lane Keeping Aid, a lane-departure warning system, and Ford Active City Stop, which helps reduce low-speed accidents. Both features are available in a Driver Assistant Pack for £750 for Zetec, Titanium and Titanium X trims.

More scores released
Euro NCAP released scores for four other cars, too. The Citroen DS4, Lexus CT200h, Peugeot 508 and the Volvo V60, all of which achieved the top five-star score.