Z4 Roadster

Make
BMW
Segment
Compact

In Europe, cars are built to obey EuroNCAP standards in the same way that cars is America have to obey NHTSA regulations. However, unlike the NHTSA (who don't care about you), the EuroNCAP regulates pedestrian safety. In Europe, 14% of all accidents involve a pedestrian, so this area is very important in overall safety ratings. The pedestrian protection rating is determined by testing parts on the front end of the car such as the hood and windshield. The less likely these components are to do damage to a pedestrian, the higher the rating.

Cars with autonomous braking technology will be rated higher than cars without the technology. The top 5 cars that EuroNCAP says are the "best" to get hit by are the Mazda CX-3, Volvo V40, Infiniti Q30, BMW Z4, and Mazda MX-5. Mazda did quite well with two cars on this list. The MX-5 might have done so well because of its low height, which also helped the Z4 get such a high score. The Volvo is actually quite unique because it comes with a pedestrian airbag that deploys in order to protect who ever you hit. Getting hit by a car is never going to be fun, but these five cars have been rated the safest. Perhaps it's time for the NHTSA to start measuring how safe cars are for pedestrians.