What Car? to name the safest car of 2017

Some of 2016's highest-rated new cars, including the Audi Q2, Mercedes E-Class and Seat Ateca, are all finalists for What Car?'s Safety Award, with the winner due to be announced at the 2017 What Car? Car of the Year ceremony in January.

The award, in conjunction with Thatcham Research, will go to the safest new car of the year, as judged by a panel of experts. Our tests include track-based testing of collision avoidance systems, as well as thorough analysis of each car's Euro NCAP crash test result.

Standard safety technology fitted to each car must include Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian recognition, and the cars are also judged on market relevance and value for money.

What Car? Safety Award 2017 – the finalists:

Alfa Romeo Giulia

Euro NCAP scores:

• Adult occupant protection 98%
• Child occupant protection 81%
• Pedestrian protection 69%
• Safety assist 60%

Read our full Alfa Romeo Giulia review

Audi Q2

Euro NCAP scores:

• Adult occupant protection 93%
• Child occupant protection 86%
• Pedestrian protection 70%
• Safety assist 70%

Read our full Audi Q2 review

Ford Edge

Euro NCAP scores:

• Adult occupant protection 85%
• Child occupant protection 76%
• Pedestrian protection 67%
• Safety assist 89%

Read our full Ford Edge review

Hyundai Ioniq

Euro NCAP scores:

• Adult occupant protection 91%
• Child occupant protection 80%
• Pedestrian protection 70%
• Safety assist 82%

Read our full Hyundai Ioniq review

Mercedes E-Class

Euro NCAP scores:

• Adult occupant protection 95%
• Child occupant protection 90%
• Pedestrian protection 77%
• Safety assist 62%

Read our full Mercedes E-Class review

Peugeot 3008

Euro NCAP scores:

• Adult occupant protection 86%
• Child occupant protection 85%
• Pedestrian protection 67%
• Safety assist 58%

Read our full Peugeot 3008 review

Renault Scenic

Euro NCAP scores:

• Adult occupant protection 90%
• Child occupant protection 82%
• Pedestrian protection 67%
• Safety assist 59%

Read our full Renault Scenic review

Seat Ateca

Euro NCAP scores:

• Adult occupant protection 93%
• Child occupant protection 84%
• Pedestrian protection 71%
• Safety assist 60%

Read our full Seat Ateca review

Toyota Prius

Euro NCAP scores:

• Adult occupant protection 92%
• Child occupant protection 82%
• Pedestrian protection 77%
• Safety assist 85%

Read our full Toyota Prius review

VW Tiguan

Euro NCAP scores:

• Adult occupant protection 96%
• Child occupant protection 84%
• Pedestrian protection 72%
• Safety assist 68%

Read our full Volkswagen Tiguan

Two hybrid cars feature in our final 10 – the Toyota Prius and Hyundai Ioniq – showing the increasing popularity of electrified vehicles, while four of our finalists are small SUVs, one of the fastest growing vehicle segments in the UK.

Thatcham Research Chief Executive, Peter Shaw, said: "These 10 vehicles represent some of the safest cars on sale in the UK today, and we are delighted to see that by raising awareness of the important issues surrounding vehicle safety, manufacturers are starting to rise to our challenge of fitting safety as standard across all models, regardless of segment or price."

Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?, added: "Safety is a key consideration for new car buyers, particularly when the car they're choosing is going to be used as family transport. At What Car? we feel it's important to reflect that by presenting a standalone Safety Award, and having Thatcham Research on the judging panel gives that award a unique credibility. Nobody has more experience in this field."

Last year, we named the Volvo XC90 as the safest new car in the UK, while at the other end of the price scale, Honda's Jazz was also highly commended.

To find out more about our finalists, and to see what criteria our judges are looking for, watch the video below.

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