The new Renault Kangoo and Vauxhall Mokka have been awarded four-star safety ratings by Euro NCAP.

In the latest round of safety tests, neither model was able to score top marks.

The Kangoo performed well in crash tests, but with only moderate side impact protection offered, its score just fell below that required for a top five-star rating.

The latest Kangoo, however, comes with several active safety features, – including autonomous braking systems to prevent collisions with cars, pedestrians and cyclists – which all activated correctly in Euro NCAP’s crash avoidance tests.

The Mokka sits firmly in four-star territory, according to Euro NCAP, with no AEB for cyclist protection and also lacking a centre airbag, the car failed to break the five-star threshold in any area of assessment, including that of child occupant protection.

Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP’s secretary general, said: “Two four-star cars but coming at it from different directions. With the Kangoo, Renault has launched a respectable successor that performs well in general and lacks only a centre airbag as far as state-of-the-art protection is concerned.

“Stellantis seems to accept lower performance in general, and the new Mokka lacks some critical safety systems that have become increasingly commonplace by now. The latest edition clearly lacks the ambition of the previous Mokka that was a runner-up of 2012 Best in Class in the Small Family category.”

The Mercedes EQA and GLA were both awarded five-star safety ratings, meanwhile, based on the performance of the B Class, on which they are based.

Euro NCAP also awarded a five-star rating to the Cupra Leon.