BMW and Citroen apparently manufacture the safest family cars according to a recent study published in the United Kingdom recently. The study which apparently covered all major automobile manufacturers was carried out by the magazine Auto Express and Euro NCAP, an independent automobile safety institute.

The particular cars in question were the BMW 3 - series and the Citroen C4.

This was a major study and involved hundreds of cars which were put through a massive series of passenger and pedestrian protection tests.

There were a whole series of accident avoidance procedures that were looked at and there were nine overall categories of vehicle from which the top three cars in each category were chosen.

A rating system of stars was used and each winning car was awarded up to a maximum of 14 stars.

The BMW three series scored 10 styles and was the best, in the large family car section. It was commended for its protection for child passengers and scored well in head on collision tests.

Matt Johnson of the joint sponsors of the study Auto Express said ?if the worst does occur to count on the road, you'll want to be in the homework will protect you and your family." Makes sense to me.

?Cars have got significantly safer over recent years thanks to these independent crash tests. A models safety rating is a major factor people consider when choosing a new car.?

?Many cars now score a full five stars [in eight categories]. But within this band some do better than others and our list separates out the very top performing cars.?

?These are the ones which Euro NCAP reckons offers the very highest level of safety for their class and is something car buyers should be aware of."

As was mentioned before there were nine categories of Britain's safest cars. The first category was the ?super minis?. Winners here included the Peugeot 207, the Fiat Punto and the Toyota Yaris.

The second category was small family cars; winners here included the Citroen C4, Ford focus, Mercedes A- class. Next came the large family cars in which the BMW three series Volvo S-40 and Volkswagen Passat came out as winners. The Lexus GS300 triumphed in the executive Cars, the Honda S2000 won the roadsters section. The Volkswagen Touareg was voted best large off roader and the Land Rover Freelander was the best small off roader.

The best small and MPVS wants the Toyota Corolla Verso and the Ford Galaxy was voted best large MPVS.

As had been discussed in the media, both sponsors of this study were concerned that safety is now of such paramount concern that it is essential that as many prospective buyers of cars are aware of safety issues overall.