The Mercedes-Benz A-Class (2018) is the safest family car, scoring 8.15 out of 10 in the safest family cars index. The vehicle was awarded a child occupant safety rating of 91% during crash tests from The European New Car Assessment Programme.

That’s according to the latest study by Confused.com. The experts analyzed 50 vehicles using crash test safety ratings and technical inspection faults to determine the safest family cars.

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class (2018) is the safest family car, scoring 8.15 out of 10 in Confused.com’s safest family cars index. The A-Class scored 91% for child occupant safety, for its performance in crash tests based on 6 and 10-year-old children. This is the joint highest score for child occupant safety, alongside the Mazda 6.

The second-safest family car is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class (2022), with an overall family car safety score of 8.10 out of 10. The C-Class scored 89% for child occupant safety, an increase of 8 percentage points compared to the 2020 Audi A3 (81%). In comparison to the A-Class (75%), the Mercedes-Benz C-Class scored 7 percentage points higher for its safety assist performance (82%). This analyses safety features such as the speed limit assist, seat belt reminder and active brake assist functions. Of all the vehicles analysed, the C-Class also had the joint-fewest number of cars recalled due to faults (2.5%).

In joint third place is the Škoda Octavia (2019), the SEAT Leon (2020) and the Honda Civic (2022). Each vehicle scored 6 out of 10 in the safest family cars index. The Octavia and the Leon perform similarly, both scoring 88% for child occupant safety. The Octavia is Škoda’s safest family car in the index, performing 7 percentage points safer for children than the Škoda Fabia (81%). Despite a slightly lower score for child safety (87%), the Honda Civic has the best safety assist performance (83%) of the top 10 vehicles analyzed.