The safest one – Volvo XC90
| Euro NCAP score | ★★★★★ |
| Adult | 97% |
| Child | 87% |
| Pedestrian | 72% |
| Safety | 100% |
The Volvo XC90 has serious form when it comes to crash safety ratings. The original XC90 scored a maximum five-star rating in 2002 and, after 15 years, still has no recorded occupant fatalities in its three biggest markets – the UK, US and Sweden.
You’d think this sort of record would be impossible to beat, but in 2015, the current XC90 scored 'the best result in the history of Euro NCAP'.
Volvo's commitment to safety is well known. It pioneered the seatbelt in 1959, and opened up the patent so that any manufacturer could use it. More recently, it pledged that nobody would die in one of its cars by the year 2020.
Yes, the XC90 has a comfortable, spacious interior and looks distinctive with its ‘Thor’s Hammer’ daytime-running LED headlights, but put simply, there is no safer way for you and your family to travel.
Read our Volvo XC90 full review.
The urban one – Lexus RX
| Euro NCAP score | ★★★★★ |
| Adult | 91% |
| Child | 82% |
| Pedestrian | 79% |
| Safety | 77% |
The Lexus RX is the original hybrid SUV where, beyond the hushed powertrain, bold styling and beautifully finished cabin, it puts safety at the forefront of its offering. It comes with 10 airbags – more than any other big SUV - and every model has an exhaustive list of standard safety equipment that includes adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition and hill start assist.
These are the sorts of items you’d need to specify as pricey options on the other models mentioned here.
It doesn’t do off-roading and the boot isn’t particularly massive, but the low CO2, decent fuel economy and strong resale values make it an affordable ownership proposition.
Read our Lexus RX full review.
The go-anywhere one – Land Rover Discovery
| Euro NCAP score | ★★★★★ |
| Adult | 90% |
| Child | 80% |
| Pedestrian | 75% |
| Safety | 73% |
Land Rover is a company better known for off-road prowess than safety, but the Discovery SUV manages to marry the two disciplines.
It’s a refined and practical family car that is the only model in this line-up boasting genuine off-road credentials with a four-wheel drive system that can get it scrambling up and down mountain ranges, while still towing a horse box.
This extensive suite of traction control systems helps contribute towards safety, too. All versions receive Lane Departure Warning and an Autonomous Emergency Braking System with Pedestrian Detection, while there are Isofix anchorage points for at least four child car seats.
Further, optional safety equipment includes a rear-view camera, a Blind Spot Monitor, a self-parking function plus parking cameras that give you a bird’s eye view around the car.
Read our Land Rover Discovery full review.
The tech one – Audi Q7
| Euro NCAP score | ★★★★★ |
| Adult | 94% |
| Child | 88% |
| Pedestrian | 70% |
| Safety | 76% |
The Audi Q7 is another large seven-seat behemoth that, like the Volvo, is also available as a hybrid. It offers equal amounts of adult and child occupancy protection, but loses points to the Volvo on its active safety systems.
The second generation of Audi’s full-size SUV features a host of optional equipment that includes radar-guided cruise control with lane assist, night vision cameras, traffic sign assist (so you always know the speed limit), plus the new Virtual Cockpit, which can dynamically change your dials depending on whether you need to read your speed or navigation instructions.
It’s brilliant, as is the way this car handles.
Read our Audi Q7 full review.
The stylish one – Range Rover Velar
| Euro NCAP score | ★★★★★ |
| Adult | 93% |
| Child | 85% |
| Pedestrian | 74% |
| Safety | 72% |
The Range Rover Velar is the latest large SUV to receive the full Euro NCAP treatment, and Motor1.com was there to witness the testing first-hand.
The Velar may be expensive compared to its rivals, and doesn’t really offer benchmarks in either interior quality or driving panache, but like Zoolander, it is really, really, ridiculously good looking.
All versions receive automatic emergency braking, six airbags and Isofix mounting points for two child car seats, while optional safety extras include a 360-degree parking camera system, blind-spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition and reverse traffic detection.
Read our Range Rover Velar full review.
The good value one – Ford Edge
| Euro NCAP score | ★★★★★ |
| Adult | 85% |
| Child | 76% |
| Pedestrian | 67% |
| Safety | 89% |
The Ford Edge is a five-seat SUV that is big on equipment, comfort and refinement.
It comes with an impressive suite of safety measures, including stability control, lane departure warning, inflatable rear seatbelts to reduce bruising in the event of an impact, plus a collision mitigation system that warns of an impending low-speed impact and slows or stops the car if the driver takes no action.
There’s also a 180-degree ‘Split View’ camera that helps you spot oncoming traffic when pulling out of tight junctions.
It may not be the most engaging Ford we have driven in recent years, but it’s a rational and good value option.
