Honda has played down concerns that fleets must choose between green or safe vehicles.

The Civic Hybrid has been awarded four Euro NCAP stars for adult protection, although it was expected to get five.

However, Honda spokesman John Kingston said the four stars, which were joined by another four for child protection and three for pedestrian safety, was an impressive score and matched the regular Civic. “We feel the result is still very good,” he said.

“It’s up there with the other cars in that class. You always aspire to get the five-star ratings, but we’re not disappointed.”

Another hybrid, the Toyota Prius, was awarded five stars in 2004.

Euro NCAP’s secretary general, Adrian Hobbs, said: “Consumers may be asking themselves whether high safety scores and a hybrid powertrain can go hand-in-hand.

“Both Honda and Toyota have shown that they are rising to the challenge in their efforts to meet concerns about safety and global warming. It is now up to other manufacturers to follow in their footsteps.”

Skoda’s new Fabia also failed to get five stars for adult protection. A Skoda spokeswoman said that in the Euro NCAP test, the boot opened in a fashion that had not occurred during manufacturer testing, which deprived them of marks.