Car safety is continually improving, but which are the safest cars you can buy? It’s a question many of us ponder when we’re changing our car, as we’re – understandably – keen to protect everyone on board or, better still, avoid a crash happening in the first place.
That’s where Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) comes in. Since 1997, this independent organisation has been assessing the safety of most popular new car models. As well as crash-testing cars in a lab to see how well each one protects its occupants in various types of collision, it also takes into account the active safety measures fitted to a car: these are the driver assistance features that aim to prevent a collision happening at all. Each car assessed is given an overall star rating, with a maximum of five stars for the safest cars.
The Safest Cars On Sale in 2026
Euro NCAP and Car Safety
Safety technology never stands still, with increasingly advanced features being added to new cars all the time. As a result, Euro NCAP regularly changes its testing procedures to make the tests tougher and more useful. Sometimes these changes amount to no more than an annual tweak of the thresholds that a car needs to reach to achieve a certain score, but every few years, Euro NCAP changes how the tests work entirely.
The last major update took place at the beginning of 2026, with new cars now being tested in four key areas: ‘Safe Driving’, ‘Crash Avoidance’, ‘Crash Protection’, and ‘Post Crash Safety’. Each car tested earns a percentage score in each of these four areas, which then contribute to the car’s overall score.
However, because these testing protocols are still fairly new, only a handful of models (at the time of publication, just five that are available for sale in the UK) have been tested so far under the latest methodology. That’s not a huge body of evidence to work with, so there’s not much point in us talking about it here. However, as soon as there’s enough of a sample size for us to analyse the state of play under the very latest testing regime, we’ll update this article.
However, that doesn’t mean we can’t undertake a detailed and useful safety comparison on some of the newest cars available to market. And here’s how we’ll do it. For the previous few years prior to 2026, up to and including 2025, cars were again assessed in four key areas, and awarded a percentage score in each to inform a car’s overall score. However, the areas themselves were different, as were the ways that success in them was measured. The areas in question were ‘Adult Occupant Protection’, ‘Child Occupant Protection’, ‘Protection of Vulnerable Road Users’, and ‘Safety Assist’.
The first two were largely concerned with how the car maintained its structural integrity in laboratory crash tests, and what measures were provided to keep occupants from harm. The third was concerned with what features and technology were on hand to prevent collisions with the other things you might find on the road that aren’t cars - such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists - and what safety measures were in place to protect any person that the vehicle might come into contact with. The last area assessed what measures were on hand to prevent any sort of collision, be they measures to alert the driver of impending danger, or ones that intervene automatically if the driver takes no action. And in all cases, the tests assess not only the presence of such safety features, but also their effectiveness.
In 2025, Euro NCAP tested no fewer than 90 models that are currently offered for sale in the UK, and of those, 62 scored the full five-star rating. But which of those scored most highly? Well, we’ve gone through the test reports of each and every one of them, and totted up the scores in each of the individual areas to see which models have the highest score overall. And, we’ve listed the top 10 of them below, meaning that these are effectively the safest cars tested by Euro NCAP last year.
Fun fact for you: we conducted the same exercise last year with the cars tested by Euro NCAP in 2024. And of the cars on that list, only the number-one-performing model - the Mercedes-Benz E-Class - would’ve made this 2025 list at all, and it would’ve been firmly ensconced in the bottom half bottom-half of the table. See what we mean about ever-improving safety standards?
Note: (H) indicates a highest score, or joint-highest score, on this list in the given area.
Tesla Model Y
Adult Occupant Protection Score: 91%
Child Occupant Protection Score: 93% (H)
Protection of Vulnerable Road Users Score: 86%
Safety Assist Score: 92% (H)
Overall Euro NCAP Score: 362/400
Say what you like about Elon Musk, but it would appear that he knows how to build a safe car: or rather, his people do. The Model Y tops the list of all cars tested in 2025 with a cumulative score of 362 out of a possible 400. Just as impressive is that in two of the four areas of scrutiny - Child Occupant Protection and Safety Assist - you won’t find a higher score anywhere on this list. Despite the Model Y’s excellence in the latter area, we still think it’s irresponsibly misleading of Tesla to call its semi-autonomous driving tech ‘Autopilot’, because that’s not what it is, and drivers shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that it is. However, questionable marketing decisions don’t take away from Tesla’s table-topping performance here.
Read our full Tesla Model Y review
Mercedes-Benz CLA
Adult Occupant Protection Score: 94% (H)
Child Occupant Protection Score: 89%
Protection of Vulnerable Road Users Score: 93% (H)
Safety Assist Score: 85%
Overall Euro NCAP Score: 361/400
Ever since Mercedes’ compact electric saloon car was released, it’s been busy hoovering up plaudits for being one of the most efficient and longest-range EVs on sale, but a second-place finish on this list would suggest it has more strings to its bow besides. It tops our list outright in the area of Adult Occupant Protection, which we guess makes it the obvious pick for the selfish driver (we’re joking, obviously), and it also shares the lead with the Mazda CX-5 on Protection of Vulnerable Road Users. And as well as its safety, efficiency and range, the CLA also looks the business and is lovely to drive.
Read our full Mercedes-Benz CLA review
Tesla Model 3
Adult Occupant Protection Score: 90%
Child Occupant Protection Score: 93% (H)
Protection of Vulnerable Road Users Score: 89%
Safety Assist Score: 87%
Overall Euro NCAP Score: 359/400
Another top-three berth on our list for American company Tesla with the Model 3 compact saloon. It posts an identical score to its Model Y stablemate for Child Occupant Protection, and while it’s marginally behind for Adult Occupant Protection, it actually betters its sibling for the Protection of Vulnerable Road Users. Interestingly, the Model 3 trails the Model Y but a lot further when it comes to Safety Assist tech, because tech is Tesla’s whole schtick. That said, its rating of 87% is still the second-highest on our list, so it’s not like the Model 3 is exactly lacking in that area.
Read our full Tesla Model 3 review
Smart #5
Adult Occupant Protection Score: 88%
Child Occupant Protection Score: 93% (H)
Protection of Vulnerable Road Users Score: 84%
Safety Assist Score: 92% (H)
Overall Euro NCAP Score: 357/400
The #5 might not be what many people picture when they think of a Smart car, but in fairness, a dinky city car roughly the size of a roller skate probably wouldn’t stand much of a chance of making this list of the safest cars. It’s perhaps telling, then, that this premium-feeling electric SUV is almost twice as long as the original Smart ForTwo, and at 4.7 metres long, it’s a sizable car by anyone’s standards, not just Smart’s. Evidently, it’s also a very safe one. With strong scores in all areas, it ties with a variety of models on the list for the lead in the Child Occupant Protection stakes, and ties with only the Tesla Model Y for Safety Assist. You won’t be parking it in impossibly small spaces, then, but you can surely be confident that it’ll get you to wherever that space is safely and confidently.
Read our full Smart #5 review
Leapmotor B10
Adult Occupant Protection Score: 93%
Child Occupant Protection Score: 93% (H)
Protection of Vulnerable Road Users Score: 84%
Safety Assist Score: 85%
Overall Euro NCAP Score: 355/400
You might not have heard of Leapmotor before, and even if you have, you probably wouldn’t expect a Chinese budget brand to have a model feature in this list. But here it is, the B10 SUV. which is available as both an EV and a plug-in hybrid. It’s one of a number of cars on this list that leads the pack for Child Occupant Protection, and it scores solidly in all other areas, too. And as well as deeply impressive crash safety results, the B10 also offers a heaving kit list for a very competitive price, so you get a whole lot of car for not all that much cash.
Read our full Leapmotor B10 review
Mazda CX-5
Adult Occupant Protection Score: 90%
Child Occupant Protection Score: 89%
Protection of Vulnerable Road Users Score: 93% (H)
Safety Assist Score: 83%
Overall Euro NCAP Score: 355/400
The Mazda CX-5 has been a favourite with family SUV buyers for many years now, and this latest version looks set to continue that trend. After all, family-car buyers want their family to be safe, and by choosing a model on our list of the safest cars, you’re giving yourself the best chance of achieving that, right? It also looks after everybody else, being one of the two cars on our list that leads the way for the Protection of Vulnerable Road Users. Looks like everyone’s happy, then. You certainly will be, because the latest CX-5 still drives with that nimble dynamism that characterises Mazda’s cars.
Read our full Mazda CX-5 review
Volvo EX90
Adult Occupant Protection Score: 92%
Child Occupant Protection Score: 93% (H)
Protection of Vulnerable Road Users Score: 82%
Safety Assist Score: 86%
Overall Euro NCAP Score: 353/400
It wouldn’t be a list of the safest cars if there weren’t a Volvo on it somewhere. The Swedish firm has been a pioneer in the area of safety for many decades now, and the EX90’s inclusion here would suggest that the company is still at the very forefront. The EX90 is particularly good in the area of Child Occupant Protection, being one of a number of cars on this list to score highest in that regard. And that’s a very good thing, because as a seven-seater, you can fit an awful lot of children in if you so wish.
Read our full Volvo EX90 review
Mercedes-Benz CLE
Adult Occupant Protection Score: 93%
Child Occupant Protection Score: 89%
Protection of Vulnerable Road Users Score: 87%
Safety Assist Score: 83%
Overall Euro NCAP Score: 352/400
A second entry on our list for Mercedes-Benz, providing proof that the German prestige brand is one of the leading lights for safety among car-makers. The CLE Coupe (a Convertible is offered as well, and the ratings apply to that version, too) doesn’t lead the way in any one particular area of the Euro NCAP crash tests, but it scores consistently highly across all of them. You choose between petrol-, diesel- and plug-in hybrid powertrains, and whichever you choose, you’ll get a surprisingly roomy four-seat grand tourer with a comfortable ride, that also happens to look the business.
Read our full Mercedes-Benz CLE review
BYD Seal 6
Adult Occupant Protection Score: 92%
Child Occupant Protection Score: 90%
Protection of Vulnerable Road Users Score: 84%
Safety Assist Score: 85%
Overall Euro NCAP Score: 351/400
Since arriving on British shores a few short years ago, Chinese manufacturer BYD (that stands for ‘Build Your Dreams’, in case you weren’t already aware) has consistently been launching a variety of new electric- and plug-in hybrid passenger car models of various shapes and sizes to the market, and has also been quietly marching up the sales charts as a result. Most of them have daft names - as the Seal 6 on this list bears testament to - but that doesn’t seem to matter to British buyers, who place more value on the amount of space and kit they get, and how little they have to pay for it. And now, the firm has marched also onto our list of the safest cars, which adds another hugely important attribute for family-car buyers, and so can only help the firm’s continued success.
Read our full BYD Seal 6 review
MG IM5
Adult Occupant Protection Score: 89%
Child Occupant Protection Score: 85%
Protection of Vulnerable Road Users Score: 85%
Safety Assist Score: 87%
Overall Euro NCAP Score: 346/400
When is an MG not an MG? When It’s an IM of course. Not the funniest joke, perhaps, but one worthy of an explanation. You see, in other parts of the world, MG and IM are two separate brands owned by the same Chinese parent company (SAIC, if you're wondering). In short, MG wanted a prestige electric executive car to go up against models like the BMW i4 and pilfer some sales, but didn’t have one. IM did, so the decision was made to bring the IM5 over here (along with the IM6 prestige SUV) and offer it under the MG umbrella. That's why you’ll find no MG badge on the car. Whatever its origins, the IM5 still has the chops in the area of safety to earn it a place on this list, with consistently high scores across the board.
Read our full MG IM5 review
