Mazda2 rates four stars: Euro NCAP

Euro NCAP's latest round of crash testing has determined that the Mazda2 light hatch and Fiat's 500X mini MPV are not ultimately good enough to warrant a five-star rating, according to this year's upgraded testing criteria.

But there's good news for Suzuki; its new Vitara SUV – a competitor to vehicles the likes of the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V – achieved the full five-star rating.

According to the safety authority in its report, the Mazda2 achieved percentages of 86 for adult occupant protection, 78 for children, 84 per cent for pedestrians and 64 per cent for safety assist technology.

Those are pretty good scores overall, and NCAP in its comments noted that the Mazda lost only a fraction of a point for driver safety in the frontal offset crash – and maximum points for the safety of the front passenger. The Mazda provides "good" protection for the lower extremities, irrespective of the size of occupants. In a full-frontal test the front passenger endured 'neck extension' (whiplash), earning marginal points only. The Mazda scored maximum points in both the side impact and pole tests. It was a similar case with child safety, the Mazda2 achieving good overall results. And if you plan on stepping out in front of a car, you could do a lot worse than the new Mazda2, Euro NCAP acknowledges. Only the stiff windscreen pillars detracted from the Mazda's high score for pedestrian safety.

What blocked the Mazda2 from achieving a five-star score, it seems, was lack of standard autonomous emergency braking (AEB).

The Vitara, to Suzuki's credit, achieved 89 per cent in adult occupant protection, 85 per cent for children, 76 per cent for pedestrians and 75 per cent for safety assist. Euro NCAP tested the Vitara with optional AEB fitted.

Fiat's 500X scored 86 per cent for adult protection, 85 per cent for children, 74 per cent for pedestrians and 64 per cent for safety assist technology.

The Mazda2 is already available in Australia, and both the Fiat and Suzuki are on their way here. With local crash safety testing authority ANCAP adopting Euro NCAP's testing protocols as of this year, all three cars are bound to be rated the same, unless specifications change for Australia, and the respective car companies opt to pay for a crash test to establish the Aussie-spec models are safer.

At least, that's our understanding...