Euro NCAP Announces Top Five Safest Cars Of 2009, 2010 Volkswagen Golf Tops List

2010 Volkswagen Golf Tops Euro NCAP Safest Cars Of 2009 List

EUROPE'S EURO NCAP group has announced its top five safest cars for 2009, totalling seven cars thanks to three models tying for fifth place.

Topping the list is the 2010 Volkswagen Golf VI, scoring 97 percent for adult occupant protection and beating out the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius in second and third place.

Following the Prius, in fourth place, the Hyundai i20 light car - expected to debut in Australia early this year - scored 88 percent for adult occupant protection.

Fifth place went to three separate cars: the Toyota Avensis, Volvo XC60 and Opel/Vauxhall Astra. Of the three, only the XC60 is offered in Australia.

The 5-Star selection selection comes from 33 new cars tested by Euro NCAP in 2009.

“This is the first time we can calculate results that demonstrate an overall safety performance," Dr Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP said. 

Even though these cars excel in different areas of safety, their presence in the top-five list indicates that they are among the top safety achievers of the year".

Euro NCAP's testing programme covers Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Pedestrian Protection and Safety Assist.

For 2010, the threshold for a 5-Star rating rises from 75 to 80 percent for Adult Occupant Protection. Child Occupant Protection takes a similar step, with the minimum score rising from 70 to 75 percent to achieve a 5-Star rating.

RESULTS

2010 Volkswagen Golf

• Euro NCAP Rating: 5-Star
• Adult Occupant Protection: 97 percent
• Child Occupant Protection: 84 percent
• Pedestrian Protection: 61 percent
• Safety Assist: 71 percent

2010 Honda Insight

• Euro NCAP Rating: 5-Star
• Adult Occupant Protection: 90 percent
• Child Occupant Protection: 74 percent
• Pedestrian Protection: 76 percent
• Safety Assist: 86 percent

2010 Toyota Prius

• Euro NCAP Rating: 5-Star
• Adult Occupant Protection: 88 percent
• Child Occupant Protection: 82 percent
• Pedestrian Protection: 68 percent
• Safety Assist: 86 percent

2010 Hyundai i20

• Euro NCAP Rating: 5-Star
• Adult Occupant Protection: 88 percent
• Child Occupant Protection: 83 percent
• Pedestrian Protection: 64 percent
• Safety Assist: 86 percent

2010 Toyota Avensis

• Euro NCAP Rating: 5-Star
• Adult Occupant Protection: 90 percent
• Child Occupant Protection: 86 percent
• Pedestrian Protection: 53 percent
• Safety Assist: 86 percent

2010 Volvo XC60

• Euro NCAP Rating: 5-Star
• Adult Occupant Protection: 94 percent
• Child Occupant Protection: 79 percent
• Pedestrian Protection: 48 percent
• Safety Assist: 86 percent

2010 Opel/Vauxhall Astra

• Euro NCAP Rating: 5-Star
• Adult Occupant Protection: 95 percent
• Child Occupant Protection: 84 percent
• Pedestrian Protection: 46 percent
• Safety Assist: 71 percent