For many consumers, buying a new car is one of the biggest investments they will ever make and so a range of factors need to be considered before a down payment is made and the keys are handed over. However, according to data from Statista’s Global Consumer Survey, two features are prioritised by potential buyers – fuel efficiency and safety.
Safety is a common theme in discussions and thought leadership surrounding auto purchasing decisions and for good reason considering the sobering statistics around road traffic accidents in the UK. In a recent guide, research was undertaken to determine the safest new cars in the UK.
A panel of industry experts evaluated the safest newly released car models in the UK in 2021 under the criteria of them being affordable vehicles offering the greatest safety benefits to the largest number of drivers. Of particular importance to the judges, were robust ‘active’ crash-avoidance systems and ‘passive’ safety features, well-delivered driver interface technology, and a commitment to standard fitment across the range.
The guide revealed that fully electric (EV) and hybrid models dominated the shortlist chosen by the specialist panel, with the judges agreeing that all the models that made the shortlist demonstrated “impressive safety advancement” ahead of the 2030 ban on sales of new vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE).
So which brands came out on top?
The UK’s top five safest cars of 2021, according to the judging panel along with the vehicles’ results in the Euro New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) testing and expert analysis from Thatcham Research’s Avery, (arranged alphabetically) are:
You can find out more about each of these cars and why they were ranked so highly here.
