The Safest Luxury SUVs for Parents

Written by Scott Pharoah

The Safest Luxury SUVs for Parents

We’ve spoken before about the popularity of Luxury SUVs, and it’s easy to see why they remain a first choice for parents. Whether you’re a mom taking your son to his cricket games, or a dad taking your daughter to soccer practice, keeping your kids safe is always going to be your top priority. We’ve put together a list of the safest luxury SUVs with the highest Euro NCAP ratings.

How are NCAP ratings determined?

NCAP ratings are not just an arbitrary number. Vehicles are scored on adult occupant safety, child occupant safety, pedestrian safety, and safety assist.

Adult occupant safety

This score is determined from frontal impact, side impact and whiplash tests. During these tests, the protection of the adult driver and passengers offered by the vehicle are tested.

Child occupant safety

Using the same tests as the adult occupant safety score, the child occupant safety score is based on the safety of the child occupant during the time of impact, as well as the vehicle’s ability to accommodate child restraints (such as baby seats).

Pedestrian safety

This is based on the risks of injuries to pedestrians or other road users in the case that they are hit by a vehicle.

Safety assist

This score is based on the safety assist features of the vehicle, such as lane support, speed assistance features and seatbelt reminders.

5 star safety rating

Vehicles with a 5 star rating mean they performed very well overall in crash protection. These vehicles are well equipped with robust crash avoidance technology.

Our favourite luxury SUVs with a high Child Occupant Safety score, as well as a 5 star NCAP rating are the Volvo XC90 (2015), the Volvo XC60 (2017), the Mercedes-Benz GLC (2015), the Lexus RX (2015), the Audi Q7 (2015), and the Mazda CX-5 (2017).

In the table below, the full NCAP Rating for each car based on the 4 listed criteria, as well as the average rating for each vehicle.