For the first time a car has been awarded maximum marks for the protection it can afford pedestrians in a crash, according to crash test results due out today.
The Citroën C6 became the first vehicle ever to get four stars in the crash-test European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP).
The C6 has a pop-up bonnet that raises in the event of a collision with a pedestrian. This means that a hit pedestrian thrown on to the bonnet would be protected from smashing against the rigid parts of the engine underneath the bonnet.
Another vehicle tested in the latest batch of results - the 4x4 Jeep Grand Cherokee - got no stars at all for its pedestrian protection.
And three other vehicles - the Mitsubishi Colt, the Fiat Croma and the Mazda 6 - got only one star for pedestrian protection.
The Fiat Croma did better for occupant protection, being one of six vehicles,including the Citroën C6, to get the maximum five stars.
The Chevrolet Matiz was given what Euro NCAP described as a "struck through" three star rating for occupant protection.
The strike-through indicates an unacceptably high risk of life-threatening injury in one aspect of the car's performance, in this case chest protection in side impact.
Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation, which is one of the organisations participating in Euro NCAP, said: "In terms of pedestrian safety, these results graphically illustrate the vast difference between the best and the worst.
"We need more innovation in pedestrian safety and Citroën has shown how to achieve it.
"By achieving the maximum stars for both occupant and pedestrian protection, Citroën has shown that pedestrian safety does not have to be compromised to make the car safer for its occupants."
Euro NCAP chairman Claes Tingvall said: "I am pleased to see that we have two more Superminis providing five-star occupant protection. It is clear that manufacturers are finding new ways to provide safety, even in small, tightly packaged cars.
"However, we also have a struck-through three-star car in this phase, showing that there is still room for improvement. Euro NCAP will continue to encourage all manufacturers to achieve the highest levels of safety."
PA