KEY POINTS:
The latest car crash-testing results dispel the myth that you have to be in a tank to be safe from harm on the road.
Six out of seven small cars earned the maximum five-star ratings and outperformed many larger vehicles in the latest tests from the Australasian New
Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) and the European equivalent, EuroNCAP.
The results suggest a person is safer in a Mini Cooper or a Toyota Corolla than in a four-wheel-drive Grand Vitara or Hyundai Santa Fe (both four-star).
The five-star small cars - Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla hatch, Toyota Corolla sedan, Renault Clio, Mini Cooper, Peugeot 207 - also outperformed bigger brothers such as the Toyota Camry and the Holden Commodore (both four-star).
Ratings are based on tests which include a frontal-impact test at 64km/h and a side-impact test at 50km/h.
To reach five stars, vehicles had to be fitted with curtain airbags, which reduce head injuries, and pass a test where the vehicle strikes a pole lined up with the driver's head at 29km/h.
A number of four-star vehicles did not have curtain airbags.
The results showed most 2006 and 2007 models were very safe; all but two models, both vans, achieved at least a four-star rating.
Five-star results were also recorded by the Honda Legend (large car), Citroen Picasso (passenger van), Land Rover Freelander 2 and Mitsubishi Outlander.
Automobile Association technical advice manager Jack Biddle said it was surprising that some smaller cars were safer than large cars.
He stressed that the results did not mean a Mini Cooper would come out on top in a head-on crash with a Grand Vitara, but if both were in an identical crash, the occupants of the Mini Cooper would be safer.
Consumers looking at a good, safe option should be looking at cars with at least a four-star rating, he said.
"In days gone by, three-stars was rated as very good and two stars were the norm, but ... now three stars is average, four stars is very good, and five stars is excellent."
He said while the tests did not take into account technology to avoid crashes, it was encouraging that more than half of all passenger cars sold in New Zealand in April were equipped with electronic stability control.
"We encourage all manufacturers to start fitting ESC to all new models.
"If a car's going around a corner or out of control, the sensors on the car can say at that speed, or given the steering angle, this car is likely to spin out, so it tries to bring it back under control."
Land Transport NZ spokesman Andy Knackstedt said makers were heeding calls to improve car safety.
"The whole idea with crash-testing is promoting consumer awareness and increasing demand for safety features, and manufacturers then move to meet that demand by making vehicles safer.
"The minimum legal requirement for a car is actually below a one-star rating, so this shows effectively that manufacturers are going well over the minimum."
But a safe vehicle was worthless without a safety-conscious driver.
"All of the tests are done with dummies belted up, so results go out the window if you're not going to wear your seatbelt. If you crash at very high speed, all the safety features in the world won't be much good.
"The best result obviously is not to crash in the first place."
He said the Australian and European tests were identical, but some base models tested in Europe might differ from base models in New Zealand. All cars tested were available in New Zealand.