Given the relative youthfulness of electric car technology in the mainstream, it’s understandable that a lot of potential consumers of electric cars remain fearful that the cars could prove harmful in the event of a crash. After all, everyone knows metal is good conductor of electricity and most electric cars are pretty much encased in the stuff.

Volvo recently set up a display showing a crashed example of one of its own C30 electric car prototypes at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show to demonstrate the safety of such vehicles even in the event of a crash, and both the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf have passed IIHS crash safety tests with flying colors.

Now the Nissan Leaf has gone on to score a perfect five-star rating in the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) round of crash testing, the first and only electric car to be tested by the agency.

The latest results include top scores for both the driver and passenger in front and side crash tests, as well as for rollover performance.

Helping the car during the arduous testing procedures was a litany of airbags, seat-belts with pretensioners and load limiters, child seat anchors, as well as traction and stability control.

We now look forward to seeing how the Chevrolet Volt fares in the same round of testing.