The country's safest car has been revealed as a Volvo model that has seen no drivers or passengers killed inside it in the 16 years it has been on sale.

A high-tech safety mechanism for automatic braking saw the Volvo XC90 crowned the safest vehicle ever tested, according to independent laboratory Thatcham Research.

Since the launch of the Volvo XC90 in 2002, the car has sold more than 50,000 units, and researchers attribute the spotless safety record to the car’s early adoption of hazard detection technology that warns drivers of potential collisions.

Updated versions of these systems are called Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), and are now able to automatically apply the car’s brakes, preventing a collision from happening.

While the technology is now standard for many vehicles, including the Volkwagen Golf and several Mercedes models, the Volvo XC90 was one of the first to develop it.

There are various forms of AEB, but many work using lasers, cameras or a radar to detect other vehicles or pedestrians.