The safest new car of 2010 is…

The safest cars of 2010 have been revealed by safety organisation Euro NCAP.

Last year the organisation tested 29 new cars, with 65% of these scoring the maximum five star rating. These figures are lower than the 2009 figure, (90% of the 33 cars tested scored a remarkable full marks) but the safety body claims that its tests are more stringent than ever before. 

The organisation has revealed the top five cars by category. The Honda CR-Z was the winner for the supermini range. In the small family category the Alfa Romeo Giulietta ran out winner, while the Toyota Verso came out on top in the small MPV class.

The final two categories of executive car and small off-road 4x4 were won by the BMW 5-Series and Kia Sportage respectively.

Other cars scoring more than 80% on the overall test were the Suzuki Swift, Kia Venga, BMW X1, VW Sharan/SEAT Alhambra and Citroen C4.

Out of all the cars tested in the past 12 months, the biggest 'loser' was the Citroen Nemo, achieving just three stars in the crash tests.

Things are expected to get a little tougher for manufacturers with the introduction of a stability control test for 2011. The tests will measure the systems performance. All cars must have stability control as standard in order to get five stars.