Honda Insight rated as one of Europe’s safest cars

The New Honda Insight has been rated one of Europe’s safest cars, setting the benchmark for hybrid vehicles, according to the new 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 Honda Insight has been awarded the maximum 5-star rating.

The new rating scheme, introduced in February 2009, uses a weighted score, combining many aspects of a car’s safety performance: adult (50%), child (20%) and pedestrian (20%) protection assessment results with the availability of safety assistance devices (10%). To qualify for inclusion, safety assistance devices (VSA for Honda) must be fitted as standard across 85% of the EU 27 2009 model range.

The Insight is the most recent in a string of Honda cars to receive top marks.Since the introduction of the new rating scheme Euro NCAP have tested 3 other Honda models; Civic, Accord and Jazz. All achieved 5 stars.
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 plant analyses impacts between models of different sizes and weights and develops solutions to mitigate injuries for both for passengers and pedestrians.

Honda first marketed the original Insight Hybrid in 1999 and this new version went on sale in Europe during spring 2009. The new Insight is the culmination of over 20 years of hybrid development and more than 35 years of lower impact petrol engine development, which started with the CVCC engine in 1972.