Compare the safest small cars

Absolutely. While a larger car arguably has a better chance of absorbing an impact with more ease than a smaller one, the way cars are designed with load paths and safety cages surrounding the passenger compartment means that small cars can entirely step up to the plate. Put it this way, the safest car that Euro NCAP has ever tested is the Volvo XC60, with a 98 per cent adult occupant protection score. A Volkswagen Polo, almost literally half the XC90’s size, scores 94 per cent on the same test, and NCAp doesn't make allowances for size of vehicle in its results.

Even the cheapest small cars now come with at least front driver and passenger airbags, front side airbags, and a curtain airbag for side impacts. All will have anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, and traction control. Autonomous emergency braking — where the car uses cameras and sensors to detect a likely collision and can slam on the brakes itself to prevent or mitigate the crash — is also now standard, although the cheaper models will come with a simpler, less effective system than higher-spec cars. Many small cars now have standard-fit adaptive cruise control and electronic speed limiters. 

While the answer has for some time been the Volkswagen Polo, with honourable mentions to the Renault Clio in particular, in 2022 the Smart #1 launched into the UK market with a pretty spectacular 96% adult occupant protection score, and 89% for child occupant protection, propelling it straight to the top of the class.