The organisation has said that it's set to test the new generation of electric vehicles to ensure that high safety standards are maintained, with the first results expected early in 2011.

In addition, from October onwards, Euro NCAP will be able to offer more comprehensive guidance to consumers about the safety offered by new cars under the Euro NCAP Advanced assessment. This will cover those technologies that are beyond the scope of the current crash tests and the findings of the first assessments will be announced at the Paris Motor Show on 1 October.

Euro NCAP’s secretary general, Michiel van Ratingen, said: 'I am looking forward to the launch of Euro NCAP Advanced. The new assessments will broaden the scope of our safety assessments and will greatly enhance the information we are able to provide to consumers.'

The announcement comes as Euro NCAP releases the results of its latest crash tests, which covered four vehicles: the Honda CR-Z, the Suzuki Swift, the Citroen C4 and the Hyundai ix35.

All of the cars receiving the maximum five-star rating, which Euro NCAP says shows that manufacturers are rising to the challenges of its new rating scheme and are continuing to make safety a priority.

In particular, it highlighted how the Honda CR-Z demonstrates that good all round safety needs not be compromised by a fuel efficient petrol-electric hybrid powertrain: its pedestrian protection result of 71% continues the high scores achieved by recently tested Hondas.

In the tests, Euro NCAP said that three of the cars demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in a rear-end collision, the Citroen C4 being the only one rated as marginal in this regard. However, the C4 was the only car to be rewarded for an active, driver-set speed limitation device which assists drivers in maintaining a safe driving speed.

The organisation added: 'Euro NCAP believes that car manufacturers who are committed to safety need to be justly awarded with a good overall rating and is encouraging all car manufacturers to reach such good results in the future.'