In a landscape where vehicle safety is paramount, ANCAP SAFETY has released its latest round of five-star safety ratings, affirming the commitment of both established and emerging manufacturers to high safety standards in the Australian and New Zealand markets. These ratings, assessed under ANCAP’s stringent 2023-2025 criteria, arrive just before a new rating system is implemented in 2026, marking a significant moment for the automotive industry.
Chief Executive Officer of ANCAP, Carla Hoorweg, emphasized the importance of independent safety assessment as more new models and brands enter the market. According to ANCAP, their testing provides consumers with essential information, ensuring vehicles meet the highest protection standards regardless of brand or price.
Several vehicles stood out in this latest round of testing:
- Leapmotor B10: This model demonstrated exceptional performance in Adult and Child Occupant Protection and Safety Assist, achieving a noteworthy 95% in Child Occupant Protection – one of the highest scores under the current criteria.
- Geely Starray EM-i: Geely’s first plug-in hybrid to undergo ANCAP assessment, the Starray EM-i, showcased a balanced performance, particularly excelling in Vulnerable Road User Protection with a strong 86% score, indicating effective pedestrian and cyclist safety measures. The Geely Starray EM-i performed well in several tests:
- side impact test at 60km/h
- full width frontal test at 50km/h
- oblique pole test at 32km/h
- Zeekr 7X: As the second Zeekr model evaluated by ANCAP, the 7X achieved high scores in both Adult and Child Occupant Protection, earning maximum points in side impact and oblique pole crash tests.
- Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe: The CLE Coupe secured a five-star rating, demonstrating excellent Adult Occupant Protection and the highest Vulnerable Road User Protection score among this group. The Mercedes-Benz CLE-Coupe underwent the following:
- frontal offset (MPDB) test at 50km/h
- side impact test at 60km/h
- full width frontal test at 50km/h
- oblique pole test at 32km/h
- Kia EV4: The Kia EV4 also earned a five-star ANCAP safety rating, a testament to its comprehensive safety specification for the Australian and New Zealand markets. The Kia EV4 was subjected to a battery of tests, including:
- frontal offset (MPDB) test at 50km/h
- full width frontal test at 50km/h
- oblique pole test at 32km/h
- side impact test at 60km/h
In addition to these new ratings, ANCAP has updated the five-star rating for the Toyota bZ4X, applicable to models built from October 2025, with its twin, the Subaru Solterra, also carrying the updated result due to specification enhancements by the manufacturers. The Toyota bZ4X was tested in:
- frontal offset (MPDB) test at 50km/h
- side impact test at 60km/h
- full width frontal test at 50km/h
- oblique pole test at 32km/h
The existing five-star safety rating for the MG HS, initially published for petrol variants, has been extended to include hybrid and plug-in hybrid models, confirmed by additional testing that verified comparable safety performance and high-voltage system integrity. The MG HS plug-in hybrid was put through the following:
- frontal offset (MPDB) test at 50km/h
- oblique pole test at 32km/h
It’s worth noting that ANCAP recently awarded a dismal one-star safety rating to the Suzuki Fronx following a shocking seatbelt failure, highlighting that not all new vehicles achieve top marks. These latest results reflect a broader trend toward enhanced safety across the automotive market, providing consumers with safer choices.