The Mercedes-Benz A-Class has returned the best result in its class with regard to the crash tests in accordance with the European NCAP standard (New Car Assessment Programme) and has been awarded five stars.

With this excellent result the patented sandwich-floor safety concept of the A-Class has now also proved its effectiveness in this rating test. In a severe frontal impact, this design causes the engine and transmission to slide downwards out of the way, rather than being pushed into the car's interior. This means that a larger front-end crumple zone is available than on other cars of this size category. In addition, the sandwich design is also advantageous in the event of a side impact because the occupants sit higher up than in a conventional compact car.

The occupant safety package is rounded off by adaptive front airbags which deploy in two stages, depending on the severity of the accident, plus newly developed head/thorax bags. The latter help to protect both the head and upper torso of those in the front seats in the event of a lateral collision. A belt status indicator in the instrument cluster tells the driver if the occupants are wearing their seat belts or not.