The test facility at Germany’s ADAC automotive club near Munich is one of only a handful of test centers in Europe accredited by EuroNCAP to assess the safety of passenger cars, and has been evaluating vehicle safety since 1997.

Every year, the ADAC performs 60 crash tests and evaluates 150 cars on the basis of 300 different criteria to assist consumers in making purchasing decisions and to offer manufacturers suggestions in improving safety.

The results concerning the safety of different car models are available on ADAC’s Web site.

Earlier this year, the ADAC was forced to admit that the results of its once-coveted “Yellow Angel” award were manipulated.

An external audit revealed that group’s popular ADAC Motorwelt magazine had massively inflated reader votes for the award and that the second, third and fourth positions in the rankings were incorrect.

The competition, to find the most popular car in Germany, was won by the Volkswagen Golf.