Drivers of 4x4s are more likely to survive a smash than those in smaller cars.

Statistics show the risk of a driver being killed or seriously injured in a 4x4 is around three per cent.

But for drivers of small cars the average is seven per cent.

The safest cars for occupants involved in an accident are the Isuzu Trooper, Land Rover Defender, Mercedes ML and the Toyota Land Cruiser, where there is a one per cent chance of injury.

The original Mini performed worst, with 14 per cent of all accidents resulting in a fatality or serious injury.

The Department for Transport studied police reports for more than 138,000 crashes between 2000 and 2004, which showed drivers of small and medium-sized cars had a 1 in 200 chance of being killed, compared to less than 1 in 10,000 for drivers of MPVs and 4x4s.

However, not all 4x4s are safer than superminis. Six per cent of Honda CR-V occupants are killed or seriously injured in an accident compared to just three per cent for Citroen’s C3.

Transport safety advisor Rob Gifford said: “The big problem arises when a large and small vehicle collide. The high bumpers of a 4x4 may override the structural reinforcement of a small car and smack into the interior where the occupants are sitting.

“We would all be safer if we all drove round in medium-sized cars.”