Euro NCAP reveals 2011's safest cars

The latest Euro NCAP test results are out, providing drivers with the vital information they need to gauge how well new cars can cope in a crash. Of 17 new cars tested in the latest round, 11 were awarded the full five-star rating.

A number of lab condition-style tests are conducted and cars get used and abused to see whether, in a head on at 30mph you'll be flung out of the vehicle or kept safely in your seat resting on a delicious airbag. Each car tested is independently sourced from dealers so manufacturers can't give them an 'extra-safe' version of their car.