The 2018 facelift FIAT Panda has today been given one of the lowest ratings in Euro NCAP’s history, having failed to achieve more than 50% in any of the car safety organisation’s four key testing categories. The safety of children seated in the rear was of specific concern to experts, with the FIAT Panda’s Child Occupant Protection score of 16% falling significantly short of the 79% … [Read more...]
Mazda amazes for new parents, Volvo valued by families
The Mazda CX-5 is judged the safest used car for new parents to buy. The Volkswagen Touran and BMW 2 Series Active Tourer follow in second and third place as UK’s Safest Used Cars for new parents using data from Thatcham Research. The Safest Used Car Award for new parents, is the UK first in the used car market, and is based on a formula ranking devised by the Co-op and Thatcham … [Read more...]
Safety call to Government and car-makers over braking
Britain’s leading accident research and safety centre called on the UK Government and car makers to rapidly introduce autonomous emergency braking. Thatcham Research welcomed European Commission announcement of proposals for the introduction of new road safety measures, some of the most significant in the past decade, and calls on the UK Government and car makers to not stall on making … [Read more...]
Seat Ibiza has something to celebrate
The SEAT Ibiza sets "a new benchmark in safety for the Supermini price point category", says Thatcham Research, who praised and criticised Ford at the same time. Following an unfavourable safety rating earlier this year, Ford has resubmitted its flagship Mustang sports car for testing, on this occasion earning a Three Star Euro NCAP rating. This follows the addition of standard-fit … [Read more...]
Ford Mustang bucks safety trend with just 2*
The Ford Mustang has bucked the improving trend and is the least safe new car launched by a major brand in the last eight years, say testers. What is more, buyers should be troubled by Ford’s attitude towards safety in general as it decided to remove protection equipment fitted to versions sold in America, where there are tougher consumer protection laws and higher penalties for failures, says … [Read more...]
Safest cars you can buy
Thatcham Research announced the safest new cars of the year. This year’s tests have shown that there is more choice than ever in choosing a safe car as manufacturers continue to raise the safety bar so the public are safer on UK roads than ever before. The list of ten cars taken from the 2016 Euro NCAP ratings, all meet the strict criteria for the award, which includes track-based testing of … [Read more...]
Buyers put safety in the back seat
Co-op Insurance revealed that the safety is not on the shopping list for the majority of car buyers across the UK, with only 4% placing it at the top of their criteria. However, despite this over three quarters (77%) of drivers are calling on the motor industry to be more proactive when it comes to highlighting both new and used vehicle safety features. The research has revealed that whilst … [Read more...]
Testers criticise car makers over safety
Insurance-owned research body, Thatcham Research, is calling on 10 vehicle manufacturers in Europe to match their USA commitment to fit autonomous emergency braking as standard on all new cars. Ten major vehicle manufacturers in the States — Audi, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo — have announced the pledge to make crash prevention … [Read more...]
UK roads are getting safer thanks to new cars’ technology
Road safety has moved up a gear, say accident assessors and investigators at Thatcham Research As the number of new car registered this month continues an upward trend of record sales based on figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Thatcham predict an additional 27,000 new cars with standard fit autonomous emergency braking to hit UK roads this month, making the total … [Read more...]