THE Volkswagen Group has been praised and criticised at the same time by a coalition dedicated to the protection of pedestrians.

Vulnerable road users Organisations In Cooperation across Europe, or VOICE, has announced its industry awards recognising the best and worst cars for pedestrian protection, based on the ratings provided by the EuroNCAP crash tests.

The best overall average score achieved was SEAT with an average star rating of 2.5 out of a possible four and a 50% average test score.

The worst overall average score achieved was Audi with an average star rating of 0.8 out of 4 and a 12.6% average test score.

Both marques are part of the Volkswagen Group.