Luxury cars have struggled in recent US safety tests, with brands such as Mercedes, Lexus and Audi rating poorly.

Only three of 11 mid-size luxury and near-luxury cars earned “good” or “acceptable” ratings in a new crash test developed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a US non-profit organisation that researches ways to reduce road deaths, injuries and property damage.

The test aims to replicate what happens when the front corner of a car collides with another vehicle or fixed object such as a tree or pole.

The Acura TL and Volvo S60 earned good ratings, while the Infiniti G was “acceptable”.

The BMW 3 Series and Volkswagen CC were among models to earn a “marginal” rating.

Poor ratings were given to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Lexus IS250/350, Audi A4 and Lexus ES350.

All the cars tested were 2012 models.

The insurer-funded institute says the test looks at off-centre, “small overlap crashes”, which affect a car’s outer edges.

These account for nearly a quarter of frontal crashes involving serious or fatal injury to front-seat occupants, according to a recent study.

Side airbags may not go off in time or at all in such collisions, since they are not true side-impact crashes.

The result is “an airbag grey zone with gaps between what front airbags cover and what side airbags do – if they deploy at all”, the institute says.

Seatbelts were found to spool out too much in some of the models, causing crash-test dummies to strike hard surfaces.

More moderately priced cars like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are to be assessed next.

The new test will be added to the institute’s yearly safety award criteria, which help consumers pick vehicles.