The new Toyota Yaris has scored five stars in the latest round of Euro NCAP crash tests, setting the benchmark for small family car safety since the crash test body updated its testing protocols.
The Yaris, tested in five-door Hybrid guise, is the first car to tackle the new NCAP programme, which features an overhauled frontal offset crash test. Other changes include the introduction of a countermeasure for injuries in far-side impacts and a mobile progressive deformable barrier test.
The Yaris performed well across these tests, with its small size making it one of the least-damaging cars with which to be involved in a crash, while its expansive centre-mounted airbags were found to offer good protection against far-side impacts. The latest Toyota Safety Sense programme can now stop the Yaris mid-turn to avoid a crash with oncoming traffic.
"Congratulations to Toyota on a top rating for the Yaris," said Euro NCAP secretary general Michiel van Ratingen. "This has been a tough year for all concerned, and I'm grateful to Euro NCAP's labs and employees, who have worked hard to deliver safety while staying safe."
Although the Yaris is the only car to tackle the revised test so far, two other cars were tested against the 2019 protocols. These were the new Renault Clio E-Tech hybrid, which matched the standard Clio with five stars, and the Audi E-tron Sportback, which also received the full star rating.
The new Yaris, redesigned from the ground up over its predecessor, is now on sale in hybrid-only form, priced from £19,910.
