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* Tiny iQ gets top score for safety
* New Avensis achieves 81% overall weighted score, iQ 79%
* New rating scheme introduced by Euro NCAP

The Toyota iQ may be the smallest four-seater car on the market, but is also one of the safest according to new independent crash testing results from Euro NCAP.

Euro NCAP, which has developed a new rating scheme which focuses on the vehicle’s overall protection performance, awarded the tiny traffic buster 5-stars. iQ’s British-built big brother, the new Avensis, also earned a 5-star rating.

The new rating scheme uses a weighted score, combining all aspects of a car’s safety performance: adult (50%), child (20%) and pedestrian (20%) protection assessment results with the availability of driver assistance devices (10%). A minimum score of 70% overall is necessary to achieve a 5-star rating. To qualify for inclusion, the devices must be fitted, as standard across 85% of the EU 27 2009 model range.

Despite its compact urban-friendly dimensions, the iQ makes no compromises in the fields of active and passive safety, achieving a remarkable overall weighted score of 79%. Every iQ features as standard, nine airbags – including a world-first, rear window curtain shield airbag, Anti-lock Brakes (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Traction Control.

The new Avensis’s overall weighted score of 81% highlights the new Toyota’s comprehensive levels of active and passive safety technology, which include a pre-crash system, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and lane departure warning.

2009 Toyota iQ – Hi-res. Images

2009 Toyota Avensis – Hi-res. Images

2009 Toyota Avensis Tourer (wagon)- Hi-res. Images