Volvo XC90 wins safest car award from Euro NCAP

Euro NCAP has named the Volvo's large XC90 off-roader the best performing vehicle of 2015 to undergo its raft of safety tests.

The crossover luxury SUV has become well known for its glut of safety mechanisms.

Its overall design and construction have resulted in a 97 percent rating for adult occupants and a 100 percent rating for its safety assist features.

Typically, crash test vehicles are driven into non-deformable or semi-deformable blocks at pre-defined speeds in order to determine the levels of safety offered to drivers and passengers; test assessments do not typically evaluate the impact of a crash on other road users.

As well as winning the overall performance award, the XC90 also scooped the Large Off-Road category.

Other category winners included the Mercedes-Benz GLC (Small Off-Road), the Jaguar XE (Large Family), Infiniti Q30 (Small Family), Honda Jazz (Supermini), VW Touran (Small MPV), and Ford Galaxy / S-MAX (Large MPV.)

None of the tested roadsters achieved a 5-star rating, leaving the Mazda MX-5 to collect best in class thanks to a 4-star grade.