BRITAIN’S CURRENT TOP 10 BEST-SELLING NEW CARS
1. Ford Fiesta Autonomous emerg braking £200-£500* Blind spot warning £350-£475 Lane-keeping assistance Standard
FORD’S perennially-popular supermini features lane-keeping assistance as standard, with blind spot warning £350 or £475, depending on trim (it requires power-fold mirrors). Likewise, AEB is as little as £200, but is £500 if you choose an entry-level Fiesta Style, as the system requires an upgrade to the 4.2-inch dash display. However much you pay, though, AEB comes bundled with active cruise control. 6. Ford Focus Autonomous emergency braking Std Blind spot warning £400-£500* Lane-keeping assistance Standard
UNLIKE the latest Fiesta, the new Ford Focus has standard AEB, even in base Style guise. Lane-keeping assistance is also fitted to all models, while a blind-spot warning system costs £400-£500, and comes bundled with rear traffic alert. Compare this with the previous-generation Focus, on which AEB was £200, and it’s clear the arrival of new models coincides with improvements in safety. 2. Volkswagen Golf Autonomous emergency braking Std Blind spot warning £1,120* Lane-keeping assistance £550*
EVEN the entry-level Golf S has AEB as standard. And while the system only works at speeds up to 19mph, it detects pedestrians, plus other vehicles. If you want blind spot warning or lane-keep assist, you’ll have to pay a pretty penny, because these come bundled with a raft of other protective technologies. Blind spot warning is packaged with VW’S Emergency Assist, which stops the car if you pass out behind the wheel. 7. BMW 3 Series Autonomous emergency braking £400* Blind spot warning £440 Lane-keeping assistance N/A
THE 3 Series may not have any of the above tech as standard, but is available with autonomous emergency braking and blind spot warning. The £400 Driving Assistance Pack brings AEB and lane departure warning, although this is passive, so won’t steer the car back into lane. Blind spot warning is £440, but note you’ll need power-fold mirrors if you want this, plus digital dash dials for the Driving Assistance Pack. 3. Vauxhall Corsa Autonomous emergency braking N/A Blind spot warning N/A Lane-keeping assistance N/A
THE Vauxhall Corsa may be a hugely popular car, but since the company rationalised its range recently, the supermini isn’t available with any of these three systems, although blind spot warning used to be an option. With Vauxhall’s new 2019 Corsa switching to a PSA Peugeot-citroen platform, it’s fair to expect the next generation to be offered with the level of modern safety kit available on the Ford Fiesta. 8. Nissan Qashqai Autonomous emergency braking £550* Blind spot warning Only from Tekna Lane-keeping assistance £495*
AEB isn’t standard with entry-level Qashqais, but is part of the £550 Smart Vision pack, which features on N-connecta trim and above. The pack also includes passive lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition and auto-dip headlights. Blind spot warning isn’t available as an individual option, but comes with Tekna trim and above. Lane-keeping assistance is bundled with adaptive cruise control, for £495.
4. MINI Autonomous emergency braking £800* Blind spot warning N/A Lane-keeping assistance N/A
THE MINI Hatch is available with an autonomous emergency braking system that works at up to 35mph, but only if you specify the £800 Driving Assist Pack. This also gets you autodipping headlights and a speed-limit warning set-up. This generation of MINI was introduced in 2014, and only had a light revise this year, so it’s clear to see that the pace of safety innovation has accelerated significantly since.
9. Volkswagen Tiguan Autonomous emergency braking Std Blind spot warning £395 Lane-keeping assistance Standard
THE Tiguan is the third VW here to feature city AEB as standard, and every model also gets active lane-keeping assistance. Unlike with the Golf, you can add a blind-spot warning system individually instead of having to order a pack, so the price is lower, at £395. Also, all models above the basic S offer driver fatigue detection, adaptive cruise and Precrash, which braces the seatbelts and brakes the car for an impact.
5. Volkswagen Polo Autonomous emergency braking Std Blind spot warning £255* Lane-keeping assistance N/A
AS with the larger Golf, VW’S latest Polo comes with a standard AEB system that works at city speeds and can detect pedestrians. Lane-keeping assistance is reasonably priced at £255, and brings with it rear traffic alert, which scans behind the car when reversing and sounds a warning if an obstacle is detected, before applying the brakes. Curiously, though, VW doesn’t offer lane-keeping assistance with the Polo.
10. BMW 1 Series Autonomous emergency braking £390* Blind spot warning N/A Lane-keeping assistance N/A
BMW’S 1 Series comes with the same optional Driver Assistant as the 3 Series, so can be had with AEB and passive lane departure warning, although this kit is £10 cheaper with the smaller car. Note that if you go for a model of 1 Series without cruise control, you’ll need to specify this if you want the Driving Assistant. Unlike the 3 Series, the 1 Series isn’t available with a blindspot warning system, even as an option.