Top small family cars in crash tests

If you are looking for a new car for the family or you just want a bit more space for yourself and your mates, the chances are that you will turn to the small family car section of an auto magazine or website.

When designing small family cars, manufacturers usually prioritise those things that matter most important to young families: safety, space and cost effectiveness. Of these factors, safety is one of the critical aspects that many people demand has to be "just right" - although low running costs such as cheap car insurance and fuel economy are musts for many too.

There is a huge array of small family cars on the market and it can often be a bit overwhelming making a decision. Whilst we cannot cover every single car on the market, the girls at CoverGirl Car Insurance Services have picked out a few of the best performers for both safety and cheap car insurance to make that decision a little bit easier for you.

Citroen C4 (2004)
The Citroen C4 is an attractive car that performs well in most capacities but really excels when it comes to safety features. It is one of the best scores in Euro NCAP safety testing, thanks to its multitude of design features that promote all-round safety. These include dual stage airbags, seat mounted side airbags, a head protecting curtain airbag, and seatbelt pre-tensioners and load limiters.

It was given five stars for adult occupant protection, four stars for child occupant protection and three stars for pedestrian protection by the Euro NCAP scheme. Its side impact protection was particularly noted upon in the Euro NCAP report, as were the lengths Citroen designers had gone to in order to protect pedestrians in the event of a collision. Those looking at purchasing a Citroen C4 can even get a cheap car insurance deal, as the basic model starts from just insurance group 4.

Ford Focus (2004)
The Ford Focus has become one of the most popular small family cars since its release, thanks in part to its excellent safety record. It has features such as seat mounted thorax airbags and head curtain airbags which even protect rear passengers in a collision from the side. It also has a very strong body structure and stable occupant protection cell that ensure minimal intrusion of the cabin in an accident.

Thanks to these features, it was awarded five stars for adult occupant protection, four stars for child occupant protection and two stars for pedestrian protection when tested by Euro NCAP. The tests found that while impact loads on the front occupants' chests were kept low and Ford had made significant improvements to protect the driver's knees. As well as having excellent safety features, the Ford Focus has also been praised for its low running costs and cheap car insurance.

Mercedes Benz A Class (2005)
The 2005 Mercedes Benz A-Class has built upon those safety features of the original design and improved these further. When tested by the Euro NCAP research team, it was found to have very good protection for front seat occupants, thanks to dual-stage frontal airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners and load limiters restricting forward movement. It was also noted that there was minimal deformation of the cabin in a frontal impact.

The Mercedes Benz A-Class was thus rated as having five stars for adult occupant protection, four stars for child occupant protection and one star for pedestrian protection. The Euro NCAP tests also revealed that the A-Class did exceptionally well in side and pole impacts. On top of all these points, the affordable running costs and cheap car insurance that come with the A-Class make it an attractive option for those looking for a small family car.

Toyota Auris (2007)
As with a lot of Toyotas, the Toyota Auris has been developed with safety in mind. Both it and the 2007 Toyota Corolla did extremely well in Euro NCAP testing, recording maximum points in side impact and pole tests. The knee airbag in the Auris was noted to offer good protection for the driver's knees and femurs in frontal crash tests. In addition to this, Toyota also supplied information to highlight their effectiveness in protecting drivers who are different sizes.

The Toyota Auris was given very respectable scores in the Euro NCAP tests, being awarded five stars for adult occupation protection, four stars for child occupant protection and three stars for pedestrian protection. It is a particularly good choice for people looking for a small family car not only for its high safety rating but also thanks to its low cost of ownership. It has been designed to be quick and easy to repair, keeping garage costs to a minimum, and also qualifies for cheap car insurance.

Volkswagen Golf (2004)
As one of the most popular small family cars, the Volkswagen Golf has got to have good safety features. It was indeed proved to have such in Euro NCAP tests, which found that the driver was well protected in a frontal collision thanks to the restraint system and airbags present in the car. The Euro NCAP report also noted that Volkswagen remodelled the curtain airbag packaging in order to achieve better safety.

In testing, the Volkswagen Golf was awarded five stars for adult protection, four stars for child occupant protection and three stars for pedestrian protection. The crash tests also revealed that it is one of the best European cars for reducing pedestrian injuries, along with the Volkswagen Touran. Although many specifications for Golfs do not afford their owners cheap car insurance, the more basic models can achieve quite reasonable rates.

Amazingly cheap car insurance quotes for women
Now we have helped you identify the best small family cars in terms of safety, you need to find motor insurance that will cover your car before you get behind the wheel.

At CoverGirl Car Insurance Services, we are dedicated to helping female drivers get cheap car insurance quotes so you have more money to spend on the fun things in life. The reason we can give ladies such a good deal on their motor insurance is that we only provide insurance cover for women - men are too risky and put up premiums. So, by specialising in female driver insurance, we can afford to give you that cheap car insurance quote you've been searching for.

However, it isn't just the fact that we only insure women that many of our customers save up to 30% when they get insured with CoverGirl Car Insurance Services. As an online car insurance company, we also enjoy really low running costs and pass every penny of these savings on to you in the form of ridiculously cheap car insurance quotes.

So, if you are looking for a great deal on your motor insurance, get a fast quote from us today - you are bound to save.

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*A replacement car can normally be arranged under one of the following conditions: (1) Comprehensive policyholders – a replacement car may be available under the terms of your insurance policy. Please check your policy details for more information. (2) Non fault accident – where we have the name, car registration number and insurance details of the person who caused the accident, we can supply a replacement car. This is done on a credit hire basis which means the costs for this service will be passed onto the insurance company of the person who caused the accident. We may not be able to arrange a replacement car where we are unable to get an admission of liability from their insurance company, or where the driver is untraceable or uninsured. (3) Repair garage – if your car is booked in for repairs following an accident, the repair garage may be able to provide a replacement car (subject to availability).