Giuletta voted safest small family car

The European crash test body named five top cars, with the Kia Sportage judged best small off-roader, the BMW 5 Series sedan deemed best executive, the Honda CR-Z the best supermini and the Toyota Verso best small MPV.

The Suzuki Swift, Kia Venga, BMW X1, VW Sharan and Citroen C4 were also classified top performers.  Last year, Euro NCAP crash tested twenty nine vehicles, with 65 per cent earning a five-star rating, compared to 90 per cent in 2009. Euro NCAP says the decrease in top marks clearly shows the criteria to reach a five-star score is now tougher.

To earn top Euro NCAP ratings, vehicles are now required to have electronic stability control systems as standard. ESC is meant to reduce the number of deaths resulting from crashes in which the driver loses directional control of the vehicle, including those resulting in vehicle rollover.

To be named a top achiever means the car achieved a high combined score based on the scores in each of the four areas of Euro NCAPs assessment, while notably exceeding the thresholds for a five-star overall rating. All of the top performers achieved an 80 per cent mark in the overall score.

The Landwind CV9's two-star racing and three stars for the Citroen Nemo made them the worst-performing vehicles in the 2010 Euro NCAP tests.