The Honda CR-Z has been rated one of Europe’s safest cars, achieving a maximum 5-stars in the latest independent crash testing results from Euro NCAP.

Euro NCAP’s rating scheme focuses on the vehicle’s overall safety performance which gives consumers an easy to understand single score. The system considers occupant protection in frontal, side, pole and rear impacts, child protection, pedestrian protection and the availability of driver aids.

The rating scheme uses a weighted score, combining many aspects of a car’s safety performance: adult (50 per cent), child (20 per cent) and pedestrian (20 per cent) protection assessment results with the availability of safety assistance devices (10 per cent). To qualify for inclusion, safety assistance devices (VSA for Honda) must be fitted as standard across 90 per cent of the EU 27 2010 model range.

The CR-Z is the latest in a series of Honda cars to receive top marks. Since the introduction of the new rating scheme, Euro NCAP has tested four other Honda models; Civic, Accord, Jazz and most recently, Insight. All five models achieved five stars, with the Honda Insight also being named “safest hybrid vehicle” as well as the 2nd safest vehicle tested during 2009.

Euro NCAP’s new assessment reflects Honda’s commitment to overall vehicle safety, complimenting Honda’s long standing in-house safety testing which seeks to improve real world safety. Honda’s car-to-car crash test facility at the Tochigi R&D centre analyses impacts between models of different sizes and weights and develops solutions to mitigate injuries for both for passengers and pedestrians. The omni-directional vehicle-to-vehicle crash test facility opened in 2001 and is the world’s first indoor all-weather facility of its type.