Toyota Prius Honoured with Safety Award in What Car? Awards
The Toyota Prius continues to garner honours, claiming the Safety Award in the What Car? Awards.
Announced last night, the award further emphasises the fourth generation Prius’s exceptional all-round qualities, extending far beyond the environmental credentials for which the model has long been renowned. Today’s Prius meets all the prime requirements of a modern family car, together with exceptional emissions and fuel efficiency.
Steve Huntingford, What Car? Editor, said: “The Toyota Prius takes the win, helped by its consistently high score in all areas of Euro NCAP tests as well as some truly innovative safety technology. Its reverse autonomous emergency braking system is what tipped the scores in its favour, as it could not only save you money, but potentially lives as well.
“The fact you can now drive one of the safest cars around for less than £200 a month only sweetens the deal.”
The What Car? achievement follows on from Prius being named Best in Class 2016 Large Family Car for attaining the highest ratings in Euro NCAP’s 2016 safety testing programme. Last week it was also revealed as the Best Family Car in the UK Car of the Year Awards.
Prius is equipped as standard with a Toyota Safety Sense package of active safety features, including radar-controlled Adaptive Cruise Control that can slow the car to a standstill if necessary and a Pre-Collision System that can detect impact risks with both vehicles and pedestrians on the road ahead. Lane Departure Alert, Road Sign Assist and Automatic High Beam further help alert the driver to hazards and ensure the best possible night-time illumination. A Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are available, giving the driver better real-time information about the area immediately around the car. What Car’s judges made special mention of Prius’s intelligent parking sensor system, which automatically applies the brakes if there’s a risk of hitting an obstacle when reversing into or out of a parking space.
Prius’s enjoys the fundamental benefit of a strong but lightweight bodyshell, designed to channel and absorb accident impact forces away from the cabin. If a collision does happen, driver and occupants are protected by an array of seven airbags.
