What Car? Safety Award 2019 contenders revealed
From SUVs to executive saloons and family hatchbacks to estate cars, these are the 10 cars in contention for the What Car? Safety Award...
The Jaguar I-Pace, Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz A-Class are among the new cars to have been shortlisted for the What Car? Safety Award 2019.
The Safety Award, judged by experts from What Car? and Thatcham Research, Euro NCAP's safety partner in the UK, is given to the safest new car of the year. In 2018, the Volvo XC60 won this accolade after receiving the highest crash test score that year.
As well as looking at crash test scores, our judges this year took into account the availability of active safety systems, such as automatic emergency braking (AEB), including two new Euro NCAP tests for 2019 that assess a car's ability to avoid pedestrians at night and cyclists.
Our judges have also awarded points for the availability of systems such as adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition and steering support, and they took into account each car's sales volume in the UK and therefore the impact it will have on wider road safety.
Thatcham Research's director of research, Matthew Avery, said: "It’s clear that occupants of the latest cars are at a lower risk than ever. But not resting on our laurels, we raised the bar in safety testing for 2018. This means the 10 cars in this list are some of the safest ever made, anywhere in the world."
The winner of the What Car? Safety Award 2019 will be announced on 22 January, along with the other winners at the What Car? Car of the Year Awards.
These are the 10 cars in contention for the What Car? Safety Award 2019. In each case, we've presented the car's Euro NCAP crash test scores, alongside notes from Thatcham Research.
Audi A6
"The Audi A6 has many safety features, including a pop-up bonnet, to protect pedestrians and cyclists in the event of a collision."
Euro NCAP scores
Adult occupant 93% Child occupant 85% Vulnerable road users 81% Safety assistance 76%
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Audi Q3
"The second-highest overall Euro NCAP score (87%) in 2018, very good performance in crash testing and the highest score overall for crash avoidance technology."
Euro NCAP scores
Adult occupant 95% Child occupant 86% Vulnerable road users 76% Safety assistance 85%
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Ford Focus
"The Ford Focus has always been a top seller, so the latest version, with its standard-fit crash avoidance technology, is making UK roads safer in volume. In testing, its AEB system performed just as well as some of the more expensive buys in this list, too. It's also fitted with a class-leading driver assistance system to support steering and braking."
Euro NCAP scores
Adult occupant 85% Child occupant 87% Vulnerable road users 72% Safety assistance 75%
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