The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Crash testing finds Volvo made the safest new car of 2017
It’s regarded almost universally as the manufactuer of the safest cars on the planet. So it’s no surprise that the latest model from Volvo to undergo crash testing should pass with flying colours.
The new Volvo XC60 SUV has scored the best overall safety rating of any car in 2017 after achieving the full five stars in Euro NCAP crash tests.
The car safety organisation has released its latest ratings, with all eight newly tested cars achieving five stars out of five. However, the XC60 was exceptional when individual section ratings were taken into account.
It scored a near-perfect 98% for adult occupant protection and 95% for its standard-fit safety systems. It also scored 87% for child occupant protection and 76% for pedestrians.
Euro NCAP says this makes it the best all-round performer of the year and puts the XC60 on a par with its larger sibling, the Volvo XC90.
Matthew Avery, director of research at Thatcham Research, a member of the Euro NCAP organisation, says: “It’s exceedingly rare for a vehicle to score so favourably across the board. The adult occupant protection result for the Volvo XC60 is one of the best on record. But it’s in active safety that Volvo is really maintaining its lead.”
He says some of the Volvo’s safety kit was so advanced, it was not yet part of the testing procedure.
Of the other cars to be tested recently, four new VW Group products got top marks in the form of the VW T-Roc, VW Polo, Skoda Karoq and Seat Arona. Meanwhile the Citroen C3 Aircross, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and Vauxhall Crossland X also got five stars.
Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general of Euro NCAP, says he’s pleased to see top-end cars like the Volvo XC60 pushing safety boundaries, but adds: “It is the high-selling mass-market vehicles that will really influence road safety in the future and manufacturers like Nissan, Ford, Seat and VW are to be congratulated for democratising safety by making high-tech safety assistance available on their superminis.”