No one likes a smug driver, but many Citron C3 and C4 owners have an extra reason to be self-satisfied this week with the news that their cars have topped the charts in the 2006 British Insurance Car Security Awards.

Picking up more points in the 'theft of' and 'theft from' tests than any of their rivals, Citron's C4 Exclusive achieved a maximum double 5-star rating in the 'Small Family' car category while the C3 Exclusive model triumphed in the 'City Car/Supermini' category.

Remarkably, this is the third year in a row that Citron's C3 Exclusive has defeated all-comers in its category, ensuring that it remains unbeaten in the history of the awards.

Equally the C4's triumph is the second consecutive win for a car that has also been given a maximum 5-star rating for occupant safety from Euro NCAP.

These results are real proof of the work that Citron has carried out to ensure that its new cars offer the highest possible levels of security. As a result, customers not only benefit from the added reassurance that this provides, but also money-saving, ultra-low insurance ratings, as demonstrated by the lowest possible Group 1 ratings that have been awarded to many C1 and C2 superminis.

The awards recognise the advances made by vehicle manufacturers in improving theft resistance.

They are organised by Thatcham - The Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre - who test and rate all new cars, in conjunction with the British motor insurers, the Home Office, the Department for Transport and other organisations interested in improving car security.