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If it's not at the very top, safety should at least be near the sharp end of your list of priorities when considering a new car to buy. We at paultan.org have always been strong advocates of road safety, and our articles regarding the importance of electronic stability control (ESP) and rear seat belts have been very well received by our readers.

It's only just, then, that our new dedicated car buyer's website, CarBase.my, now features comprehensive coverage of EuroNCAP, ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) and ASEAN NCAP crash safety ratings for all models sold in Malaysia (if available), complete with each rating's full assessment report documents for all to see.

So apart from having all the technical, equipment and warranty information you'll need and more, you can now find out how safe a car is on CarBase.my. The Comparison feature will also be useful to directly compare a car's crash safety rating and safety features (airbags, stability control, ABS, seat belts, ISOFIX) with other models in the same segment.

As we all know, a substantial number of vehicles sold locally have stripped-down safety features (some severely so) compared to the same models that are available in various other markets. For those cars, the corresponding EuroNCAP and ANCAP ratings may not necessarily apply to the models you can buy here.

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As such, we've also included notes to address the differences in the number of airbags and availability of stability control (if any) between the European/Australian-market cars and Malaysian-spec models for your attention.

For example, the Toyota Corolla Altis received full five-star ratings from both EuroNCAP and ANCAP, but it did so with a full complement of seven airbags and stability control fitted as standard across the range in those markets, as opposed to the two airbag, no stability control base models we get here.

In this case, the Corolla Altis' ASEAN NCAP ratings - four stars for the 1.8E with two airbags and no stability control; five stars for the 2.0V with Additional Safety Package that's fitted with seven airbags and stability control – are more accurate.

Choosing the right car is one of the most important decisions you'll make, so CarBase.my will surely help you make an informed decision about the cars you are considering. Regardless of the type of vehicle you're looking at, though, make safety a priority so that you, your family and other motorists are protected.