ll eight of the new cars in the latest round of Euro NCAP’s crash safety testing have been awarded maximum 5 star ratings. The cars in question are the Citroen DS 7 Crossback, Jaguar E-Pace, BMW X3, Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes-Benz X-Class, Subaru XV, Subaru Impreza and the reassessed Honda Civic.

Matthew Avery, head of research at Thatcham Research commented, “This is a strong showing for the vehicle manufacturers who submitted cars for testing. It is encouraging that drivers of all eight cars will be supported by standard-fit AEB – a technology which is proven to reduce accidents. As two cars aimed at the family market, the Honda Civic and the Subaru Impreza’s suite of safety technologies are especially welcome.”

Going above and beyond AEB, both the Honda Civic and the Subaru Impreza come with standard-fit lane keeping aids, which will gently steer a drifting vehicle away from lane markings. The Impreza also comes with AEB which detects pedestrians.

The Honda Civic was reassessed following a Euro NCAP 4 star rating in its initial test, due to a curtain airbag deployment issue. The issue was corrected by Honda, earning the Civic its Euro NCAP 5 star rating.