What Car? Q&A - Is a Mercedes A-Class safe in accidents?

Q: I was recently involved in a head-on collision and suffered a severe left arm injury. Now I am looking to start driving again. I need a small family car with excellent safety features and an automatic transmission. Before the accident, I was considering a Mercedes A-Class. Do you have any advice you could offer?
Suzanne Gowers

A: Your best guide to the crash safety of a car is its Euro NCAP rating, which assesses the safety of a car in both frontal and side impacts. The A-Class is an excellent choice, because it earned the full five stars in its NCAP test. The BMW 1 Series is another five-star option, while the Audi A3 gets a four-star rating.

If you are willing to consider more volume brands, then the Ford Focus, Renault Megane, Vauxhall Astra and Volkswagen Golf all have five-star occupant safety ratings too.

All are available with an automatic transmission in some versions, but only Mercedes offers an automatic option for every car in the A-class range.