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A British-based survey has served up new data on the reflexes of motorists and ranked them by the brand of car they drive – and the results may be difficult to swallow for some.

Surveying 2000 drivers of 27 different car brands, the test – a virtual reaction time evaluation – results have been published by scrapcarcomparison.uk.

The test was designed to determine the reflex times of drivers when confronted with an emergency situation and also gave the drivers a ‘reaction age’ based upon their response times.

The survey on scrapcarcomparison.uk, explained a reaction time of 0.4 seconds while driving at 80km/h adds 9.1 metres to a vehicle’s stopping distance.

Responding in 0.9 seconds instead doubles the distance to 18.2 metres, which could be the difference between a collision or not – and the severity of a road crash.

The fastest group posted 0.401 second reaction times – and the brand of car they drove? Volvo, dispelling the old hat-wearing, dim-witted fast-lane hogging myth.

Volvo drivers’ 0.401 second time was almost 24 per cent better then slowest ranked Mercedes-Benz drivers, who scored 0.527 seconds.

It’s worth noting that drivers of all brands ranked significantly better than the better than the 0.67 second average presumed by UK regulators when determining speed limits and positioning road signs.

Proving the cost of the car does not make a significant difference, Jaguar drivers were second-most alert (0.409 seconds) with the third sharpest behind the wheel of a Suzuki (0.413 seconds).

Ford and Toyota drivers landed 18th and 19th respectively, with Tesla drivers ranked 22nd of the 27 brands.

Volvo drivers were not only top of the class on alertness, but in another twist also showed the largest gap between their ‘reaction age’ and their actual chronological age, a significant 13 years.

With an average age of 45 years, Volvo drivers possessed the reaction times of a 32-year-old.

Kia drivers were most likely to react with the alertness of someone their physical age – 42 years old – but Mercedes-Benz and Mini drivers scored an older reaction age than their chronological age.

That saw Mercedes-Benz drivers – whose actual average age was 41 – display the alertness of a 45-year-old, while the 39-year-old Mini driver group had the reactions of a 40-year-old.

On another front, electric and hybrid drivers typically recorded faster reflexes than drivers of petrol/diesel powered vehicles.

Drivers of electric cars had a 0.459 seconds reaction time and responded with the reflexes of a 38-year-old despite having an average age of 42.

Electric car drivers edged out hybrid drivers slightly – with 0.462 second response – but achieved a bigger gap between ‘reaction age’ and actual age, the 44-year-old average aged hybrid driver possessing the skills of a fresh-faced 39-year-old.

It’s not all in favour of the latest tech, however – drivers of old-fashioned three-pedal manual transmission cars proved slightly more alert than drivers of automatics, with an average reaction time of 0.459 seconds versus 0.468.

Those familiar with a clutch pedal also responded six years younger than the age on their licence compared to three years better for auto drivers.

Factors impacting reaction, according to the study, include physical age – with slower reflexes and reduced ‘processing’ speed – as well as health factors and situational influences such as tiredness.

A 2022 survey showed one-in-six Australians admitted to falling asleep at the wheel.

Distractions within the vehicle, including from mobile phones, can also play a part in driver response times in an emergency situation.

In July 2024 the New South Wales state government announced an $81 million Road Safety Program for greater Sydney and New South Wales rural areas in the wake of the state leading surging national road toll figures.