Compare the safest small cars

Q: What is the best-value safe small car?

It’s the Volkswagen Polo . Yes, the SEAT Ibiza is basically the same car, but cheaper, but the Polo scores much better for child occupant protection than does the Spanish car, and so if safety is really what you care about, it’s worth spending the little bit extra to get the Polo.

High quality safe small cars from rated and reviewed dealers

Select a car Not sure what you want?

Best safe small cars of 2022

Do you need to compromise safety if you want to save on money and running costs? Well, not with these — small doesn’t need to mean unsafe, and these are the safest small cars on sale in the UK right now…

1. Volkswagen Polo (5-star safety rating)

9/10

carwow price from

£168^* / month (£17,911)

The Polo isn’t just a safe small car, it’s one of the safest cars you can buy. Full stop. According to Euro NCAP, it scores a five-star rating, with 94 per cent for adult occupant protection, and 80 per cent for child occupant protection. Emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection technology is standard.

Compare offers Read our review

2. Audi A1 (5-star safety rating)

8/10

carwow price from

£213^* / month (£19,974)

If anything, the Audi A1 — which shares much with the Polo under the skin — is even safer than the VW. It scores almost identical results for adult occupant protection and child occupant protection on the Euro NCAP test. Needless to say, that’s good enough for a five-star rating.

Compare offers Read our review

3. Ford Fiesta (5-star safety rating)

8/10

carwow price from

£262^* / month (£17,587)

The Fiesta gets a full house of five stars from Euro NCAP, with an 87 per cent adult occupant rating, and an 84 per cent rating for child occupant protection. Mind you, the Fiesta was tested all the way back in 2017, so it’s possible that it wouldn’t perform quite so well if re-tested today.

Compare offers Read our review

4. SEAT Ibiza (5-star safety rating)

8/10

carwow price from

£163^* / month (£16,291)

Being related to the VW Polo clearly has benefits, as the Ibiza (which is slightly cheaper to buy than the VW) gets the same five-star rating, and scores an impressive 94 per cent for adult occupant protection. Its child occupant rating is lower than the Polo’s though, at 77 per cent, which is worth bearing in mind.

Compare offers Read our review

5. Renault Clio (5-star safety rating)

7/10

carwow price from

£207^* / month (£17,010)

Renault is a past-master at providing good safety levels, having scored the first ever five-star rating from Euro NCAP way back in 2000. The current Clio upholds that tradition, with its own five-star rating, scoring 96 per cent for adult occupants, and 89 per cent for child occupants, although NCAP notes that the chip shortage means not all models come as standard with the safety equipment needed for a full score.

Compare offers Read our review

6. Toyota Yaris (5-star safety rating)

7/10

carwow price from

£226^* / month (£19,611)

The little Yaris gets the full five-stars from NCAP, although its percentage scores aren’t all that great — 86 per cent for adult occupants, and 81 per cent for child occupants. NCAP praised the Yaris’ driver alertness monitoring system, as well as its autonomous emergency braking.

Compare offers Read our review

3. Peugeot 208 (4-star safety rating)

9/10

carwow price from

£233^* / month (£17,452)

The 208 only scores four stars on the Euro NCAP test, yet it gets a 91 per cent rating for adult occupant protection, and 86 per cent for child occupants. The reason for the missing star is that there’s an optional upgrade for the autonomous emergency braking system, which gets extra radar-based sensors for better performance, but it’s not fitted as standard.

Compare offers Read our review

8. Nissan Micra (4-star safety rating)

7/10

carwow price from

£181^* / month

The current Micra gets a split rating from NCAP. The standard model gets four-stars, with a 91 per cent adult occupant rating, and a 79 per cent score for child occupants. If you go for a higher-spec model, which comes with an optional safety pack, that brings everything up to a five-star standard.

Compare offers Read our review

9. Fiat 500 Electric (4-star safety rating)

7/10

Battery range up to 190 miles

carwow price from

£288^* / month (£23,018)

There’s more than one 500, of course. The basic petrol-engined version gets a disappointing three star rating, scoring only 66 per cent for adult occupant protection from Euro NCAP, and just 49 per cent for child occupants. However, the new electric 500e does much better — 76 per cent for adults, and 80 per cent for children, giving it a healthier four-star score.

Compare offers Read our review

10. Vauxhall Corsa (4-star safety rating)

7/10

carwow price from

£176^* / month (£16,028)

The Corsa puts in a solid safety performance, racking up an 84 per cent score for adult occupant protection, and 86 per cent for child occupant protection. That gives it a four-star overall rating, with Euro NCAP marking the Corsa down a little for not providing enough electronic safety kit as standard.

Compare offers Read our review

Browse all small cars

Advice about safe small cars

Safest cars in the UK

Euro NCAP ratings explained

Compare safe small cars side-by-side

Safest small cars FAQs

Are small cars as safe as large cars?

Absolutely. While a larger car arguably has a better chance of absorbing an impact with more ease than a smaller one, the way cars are designed with load paths and safety cages surrounding the passenger compartment means that small cars can entirely step up to the plate. Put it this way, the safest car that Euro NCAP has ever tested is the Volvo XC60, with a 98 per cent adult occupant protection score. A Volkswagen Polo, almost literally half the XC90’s size, scores 94 per cent on the same test.

What safety features do small cars come with?

Even the cheapest small cars now come with at least front driver and passenger airbags, front side airbags, and a curtain airbag for side impacts. All will have anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, and traction control. Autonomous emergency braking — where the car uses cameras and sensors to detect a likely collision and can slam on the brakes itself to prevent or mitigate the crash — is also now standard, although the cheaper models will come with a simpler, less effective system than higher-spec cars. Many small cars, including the Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 208, now have standard-fit cruise control and electronic speed limiters, while the Suzuki Swift actually comes with radar-guided cruise control as standard.

What is the best-value safe small car?

It’s the Volkswagen Polo. Yes, the SEAT Ibiza is basically the same car, but cheaper, but the Polo scores much better for child occupant protection than does the Spanish car, and so if safety is really what you care about, it’s worth spending the little bit extra to get the Polo.

Other small cars

Browse other car types