The Citroën C6 is the first car to be awarded the maximum four stars for pedestrian protection in the Euro NCAP crash test programme.
The car is also awarded five stars for adult occupant protection and four stars for child protection.
The C6 detects when a pedestrian has been struck and activates a ‘pop-up’ bonnet to give greater clearance between the bonnet and the rigid parts of the engine.
The Seat León is awarded three stars for pedestrian protection, while the Jeep Grand Cherokee scores zero points in this area.
A struck-through three-star rating for the Chevrolet Matiz for adult occupant protection indicates an unacceptably high risk of life-threatening injury in one aspect of the car’s performance, in this case chest protection in side impact.
The Matiz lags behind the Fiat Punto and the Toyota Yaris, both of which are awarded the maximum five stars for adult occupant protection. — Brian Byrne.
