Thatcham Research has revealed the longlist for the What Car? Safety Award 2018.

This year, the focus is on emerging car safety technologies designed to prevent collisions. All of the top 10 cars have standard-fit Lane Keep Assist systems and standard-fit Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems.

“The top 10 safest cars of the year all have standard-fit Lane Keep Assist systems. These systems actively steer away from road edges and lane markings to prevent dangerous ‘run-off road’ and head-on accidents,” said Matthew Avery, What Car? Safety Award panellist and Director of Research at Thatcham Research. “With six percent of A-Road crashes involving head-on collisions, this should be the next life-saving technology fitted by carmakers who want to signal their intent to prioritise driver safety.

“Drivers buying a new car should expect AEB on their vehicle. It’s now an essential standard-fit safety system, just like the seatbelt. And if the car doesn’t have AEB? Walk away and find one which does.”

In selecting the safest car of the year, judges will examine the relative performance of differing AEB systems, and other car safety technologies such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Indication System, Cyclist AEM, Driver Monitoring and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

“The future of car safety is in the technology,” Avery added. “A five-star Euro NCAP rating guarantees drivers a safe car. But some are still safer than others and this award is about celebrating those carmakers who continue to push the boundaries of safety, going above and beyond even the exacting levels that a five-star Euro NCAP rating demands.”

The 10 cars the judges will consider for the What Car? Safety Award 2018 in alphabetical order:

Honda Civic
Mercedes X-Class
Subaru Impreza
Subaru XV
Toyota C-HR
Vauxhall Insignia
Volvo S90 / V90
Volvo XC60
VW Arteon
VW T-Roc