VOLVOS and Volkswagens have been declared the safest cars you are likely to buy.

But to ensure you've got the best protection, you have to be prepared to pay slightly more than the average.

Neither make is known for its budget pricing, even though VW's Beetle which reached top position in the latest safety report from Which? magazine began life as an affordable runabout in post-war Germany.

Volvo took the top two places in the Family Car section with the S60 (pictured) and S40, and the £20,000 S80 topped the Executive Car league. With 13 points, it was declared the safest car on the road.

The Beetle and its fellow VW, the Bora, each scored top marks of 10.5 in the section for small cars, followed in third position by Ford's Focus.

Each of the 24 small cars tested was given a point for every safety feature, such as seat-mounted airbags, reinforced bodywork and protective foam in doors.

The lowest scores were chalked up by the Proton Wira and Suzuki Baleno 6.5 each with the Rover 45 in third-worst position with 8 points.

Among Family Cars, lowest positions went to the Daewoo Nubira and Hyundai Elantra, with 8 points each. But the Mazda 626 scored only half a point more, and became third worst choice.