Taking a quick glance at a Smart car, you might assume that it's not very safe. It's incredibly small, barely has space for two inside, and there certainly isn't much room up front for crumple zones.

The first Smart car was the Smart City-Coupé, launched by Smart Automobile in 1998 and later renamed the Smart ForTwo. This two-seat, ultra-compact vehicle was designed by Mercedes-Benz in ...