Mitsubishi tops crash safety ratings

Mitsubishi is showing up its three big rivals.

The Mitsubishi 380 has achieved the best crash test result of any Australian-made passenger car in the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme.

The 380 proved safer than Australian-built rivals Ford Falcon, Holden Commodore and the Toyota Camry, scoring 28.09 points out of a possible 37 to achieve a four-star rating in the independent test.

Tests assess the protection provided to front-seat occupants wearing safety belts in serious head-on and side-impact crashes.

"We are very pleased with the result," said Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand managing director John Leighton. "We have known from the outset that 380 was a well-engineered vehicle. The manufacturing development and the construction accuracy were always going to set it apart from its competitors."