Nissan Leaf picks up first five-star safety rating for an EV in Europe

The Nissan Leaf has been awarded a prestigious five-star safety rating by European crash text agency Euro NCAP.

The rating, the first of its kind for electric vehicles, is something of a coup for the all-electric Leaf, which also received a top safety pick from the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in April.

Mitsubishi's electric i-MiEV, the first electric car ever tested by Euro NCAP, received a four-star rating in February.

According to a statement from the crash testing agency, the Leaf 5-door hatchback proves that EVs can be equally safe as common cars, the same conclusion made by IIHS earlier this year.

The vehicle received an 89 percent rating for adult occupant protection, 83 percent for child occupant, 65 percent for pedestrian protection and 84 percent for its safety assist features.

Euro NCAP noted that the positioning of the Leaf's battery pack, underneath the Leaf's rear-seat compartment, meant that occupants were well protected in a crash and reduced the chances of battery damage or leakage to zero.

When IIHS tested the Leaf, it also hinted that the heavy batteries made the Leaf safer, noting that larger, heavier vehicles "generally do a better job of protecting people in serious crashes than smaller, lighter ones."

Euro NCAP also praised the Ford Focus, Volvo V60, Peugeot 508, Citroen DS4 and Lexus CT200h, which all managed five-star ratings as well.

http://euroncap.com/