Whoever said that you need to buy a big honking sport utility to feel safe should start eating their words now, because the super compact Honda Fit recently went through some rigorous testing, and came out the other end with a “5-Star” safety rating of the front crash performance for NHTSA, the highest government safety rating available.

Competing in the same class as the Toyota Yaris and Nissan Versa, the Honda Fit is designed to be a full package, providing customers with “safety, utility and fuel efficiency.” In fact, according to American Honda senior VP John Mendel, the versatile hatchback “has the highest level of standard safety equipment of any car in its competitive set.”

Interestingly, Honda provided no information regarding side- or rear-impact scenarios. They did mention, however, that the Fit is safer for pedestrians, because should the car drive into a person walking on the street, the Fit’s front bumper is designed to absorb much of the impact, and thus reduce injury.

The 2007 Honda Fit has been on sale since April 20, models begin at under $15,000.