Thatcham Research has revealed the 10 safest new cars vying for the What Car? Safety Award 2019.

Volvo and Audi lead the nominations with two vehicles listed, while Ford, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Peugeot models are also included.

Matthew Avery, What Car? Safety Award judge and director of research at Thatcham Research said: “It’s clear that occupants of the latest cars are at a lower risk than ever.

“But not resting on our laurels, we raised the bar in safety testing for 2018. This means the ten cars in this longlist are some of the safest ever made, anywhere in the world.

“All cars in the top ten have systems which can provide highly effective assistance to drivers – by managing speed, offering steering support should a car drift out of lane, and maintaining a safe distance to the car in front.

“These systems are forming the foundations of Automated Driving and will improve road safety.

“However, drivers must remember they need to always be in control and avoid over-relying on them.”

The 10 contenders are:

• Audi A6
• Audi Q3
• Ford Focus
• Jaguar I-Pace
• Lexus ES
• Mercedes-Benz A-Class
• Nissan Leaf
• Peugeot 508
• Volvo V60/S60
• Volvo XC40

Beyond a maximum five-star Euro NCAP rating, the cars were selected by judges on:

• Euro NCAP scores for the highest levels of protection offered to driver, front passenger and rear-seated child passengers
• How well each car performed in autonomous emergency braking tests
• Availability of systems which combine adaptive cruise control, speed recognition and control, and steering support
• Sales volume in the UK

The What Car? Safety Award will be announced at the Car of the Year ceremony on Tuesday, January 22.