MANUFACTURERS believe the Euro NCAP crash tests will raise the importance of vehicle safety in the minds of car buyers, but not lead to changes in buying decisions. All the makers of the MPVs made more play of the work done by their own safety engineers, suggesting that when the dust settles on the latest round of tests, vehicles' individual safety features will be more important than their comparative performances in the crash test.

Top-placed Renault, for example, whose Espace scored a four-star rating in the MPV tests, focused on its active safety systems such as ABS for avoiding an accident, as much as the passive safety features like airbags and seatbelt pretensioners. Benoit Marzloff, managing director of Renault, said: 'These independent tests confirm the innovative work that our safety engineers have been doing for many years.'

Toyota, manufacturer of the Picnic, which was the only other MPV to score a four-star rating, again stressed the need to place the NCAP results in context. 'All our vehicles have to pass strict internal testing,' said Akira Imai, president and chief executive officer of Toyota Motor Europe Marketing and Engineering. 'And now external tests like Euro NCAP are validating Toyota's accomplishments. At Toyota, safety is an ongoing process. We are continually working to make safer cars.'

This theme of continuous improvement was stressed by Chrysler, manufacturer of the Voyager, the worst performing MPV in the NCAP tests with a two-star score and a zero rating in the frontal impact test. The company stressed how it had been the first manufacturer to offer MPVs with an airbag, dynamic side impact system and car (rather than van) levels of safety - leading to strong performances in real driving conditions.