Volt gets top government safety grade

DETROIT (AP) - The Chevrolet Volt electric car has won a five-star safety rating from the U.S. government.

The five-star rating is the top one given by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

General Motors, the car's maker, says the Volt was judged under tougher standards for 2011 models that include a simulated 20 mile-per-hour side crash into a pole.

The company said Friday that the Volt is the first electric car to get the five-star rating.

Both the Volt and Nissan's Leaf electric car earned top safety ratings last month from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Government safety regulators have not yet tested the Leaf.