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Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio nab five-star safety ratings, Citroen C3 gets four

Alfa Romeo attributes the adoption of new safety systems and robust bodyshell materials for the Giulia's five-star rating.

Independent vehicle safety authority, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), has awarded five-star safety ratings to both the Alfa Romeo Giulia mid-size sedan and Stelvio medium SUV based on tests conducted by foreign agency Euro NCAP.

With a score of 98 per cent and 97 per cent respectively, the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio equaled the highest marks recorded to date in the area of ‘Adult Occupant Protection’, matching the Volvo XC60 and XC90.

The latest safety assessments show that both Alfa Romeo models fared well across all four key areas, with the five-star rating applying to all 2.0-litre petrol and 2.2-litre diesel variants.

The Giulia scored 81 per cent in ‘Child Occupant Protection’, 69 per cent in ‘Pedestrian Protection’ and 60 per cent in ‘Safety Assist’.

Meanwhile, the Stelvio managed 84 per cent in ‘Child Occupant Protection’, 71 per cent in ‘Pedestrian Protection’ and 60 per cent in ‘Safety Assist’.

ANCAP chief executive James Goodwin praised the Italian carmaker, suggesting the high scores reflect its strong efforts in regards to safety.

“These are impressive scores which reflect the effort the brand has put into designing vehicles to keep occupants safe,” he said.

“With ‘Adult Occupant Protection’ we look at how a vehicle performs structurally across a range of destructive crash tests, but also how well the restraint systems work to minimise injury. Low speed auto emergency braking also forms part of this, with both Alfa Romeo models performing well.”

Both Alfa Romeo models feature autonomous emergency braking (AEB) as standard, though the Giulia adds forward collision warning (FCW), lane-departure warning (LDW) and blind-spot monitoring off-the-shelf.

Meanwhile, the Citroen C3 was also assessed, achieving just four ANCAP stars, matching its rating in the Euro NCAP test that was conducted last year.

The Citroen C3 was also assessed, achieving just four ANCAP stars. The Citroen C3 was also assessed, achieving just four ANCAP stars.

The French small car scored well in the ‘Adult Occupant Protection’ and ‘Child Protection’ tests, scoring 88 per cent and 83 per cent respectively. Unfortunately, it struggled in the other two key areas of assessments, managing just 59 per cent and 58 per cent in ‘Pedestrian Protection’ and ‘Safety Assist’.

According to the car safety watchdog, the C3 “fell just shy of today’s safety expectation due to its inability to actively detect and prevent pedestrian contact combined with head injury risk”.

Mr Goodwin noted that it is important to consider pedestrian protection as well as occupant 

“We may not all be drivers, but we are all pedestrians so it is important the design and specification of a vehicle considers the safety of those inside as well as outside the vehicle.” he said.

Does the five star rating make the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio models more appealing? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.