Honda Insight Achieves Top Euro NCAP Overall Safety Rating

TULLAMARINE, AUSTRALIA – August 31, 2009: The new Honda Insight has been rated one of Europe‘s safest cars, setting the benchmark for hybrid vehicles, according to the new independent crash testing results from Euro NCAP.

Euro NCAP’s rating scheme focuses on the vehicle’s overall safety performance which gives consumers an easy to understand single score. The system considers occupant protection in frontal, side, pole and rear impacts, child protection, pedestrian protection and the availability of driver aids. The Honda Insight has been awarded the maximum 5-star rating.

The new rating scheme, introduced in February 2009, uses a weighted score, combining many aspects of a car’s safety performance: adult (50%), child (20%) and pedestrian (20%) protection assessment results with the availability of safety assistance devices (10%). To qualify for inclusion, safety assistance devices (VSA for Honda) must be fitted as standard across 85% of the EU 27 2009 model range.

The Insight is the most recent in a string of Honda cars to receive top marks.

Euro NCAP's new assessment reflects Honda’s commitment to overall vehicle safety, complimenting Honda’s long standing in-house safety testing which seeks to improve real world safety. Honda’s car-to-car crash test facility at the Tochigi R&D plant analyses impacts between models of different sizes and weights and develops solutions to mitigate injuries for both passengers and pedestrians.