Car safety ratings guide

Check your car's safety rating and find out what it means in this comprehensive guide.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) rates cars from 1 to 5 in terms of safety, with a 5-star rating the highest available. If you’re buying a new vehicle and want to know what level of protection that car would offer in a collision, the ANCAP safety rating provides an easy-to-understand guideline to use as a point of comparison.

What are safety ratings?

ANCAP conducts crash tests on new passenger and light commercial vehicles entering the Australian and New Zealand markets, with each model’s safety levels assessed under identical testing standards and conditions. Using results from these tests, ANCAP publishes safety ratings using a rating system from 1 to 5 stars, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest.

ANCAP safety ratings take into account the level of protection for drivers, front-seat passengers, and pedestrians involved in the most common types of crashes, as well as the inclusion of safety features and technologies in new vehicles. The ratings are used to compare vehicles in the same category (small car vs small car, large car vs large car, SUV vs SUV, etc.) and are not used to compare vehicles across different categories.

To receive the maximum 5-star ANCAP safety rating, a vehicle must achieve the highest standards in all crash tests and also feature advanced safety assist technologies.

What is ANCAP?

ANCAP is Australasia's leading independent vehicle safety advocate. It aims to provide consumers with transparent advice and information about the safety levels of new passenger and light commercial vehicles. Since 1993, ANCAP has published crash test results for more than 590 vehicles sold throughout Australia and New Zealand.

ANCAP’s vision is: “To eliminate road trauma through the testing and promotion of safer vehicles”.

It works in partnership with the following organisations to deliver safety information and ratings to Australian and New Zealand drivers:

• Australian and New Zealand automobile clubs
• Australian Federal, State and Territory governments
• The New Zealand Government
• The Victorian Transport Accident Commission
• The Insurance Australia Group
• The FIA Foundation (UK).

What does the crash testing process involve?

ANCAP uses a number of internationally recognised crash tests and safety assessments carried out by independent specialist laboratories. These tests are designed to mimic the most common real-world crashes, and dummies are used to scientifically measure the forces on occupants and pedestrians when such crashes occur.

New vehicles are put through the following five tests:

• Frontal offset test. This test is designed to simulate hitting another vehicle of the same mass travelling at the same speed. It is conducted by crashing 40% of the car, on the driver’s side, into a crushable aluminium barrier at 64 km/h. Two adult-sized dummies are located in the front seats, while dummies the size of 18-month and 3-year-old children sit in appropriate restraints in the back.
• Side impact test. Designed to simulate two cars colliding at 90 degrees, the side impact test is carried out by ramming a 950kg trolley with a crushable aluminium face into the side of the test car at 50 km/h.
• Pedestrian test. This test simulates a pedestrian being hit by an oncoming vehicle, and it’s used to assess the potential head and neck injuries to child and adult pedestrians when hit by the test car at a speed of 40 km/h.
• Pole test. This test is designed to simulate an accident where a car crashes into a fixed object, such as a tree or pole. It’s conducted by propelling the test car sideways at a speed of 29 km/h into a rigid pole aligned with the driver’s head.
• Whiplash test. Designed to assess head and neck injuries resulting from a rear-impact collision, this test sees the car’s seat mounted to a test sled. The sled is then propelled forward to simulate a stationary vehicle being hit from behind at 32 km/h.

What about safety technologies?

In previous years, car safety ratings have focused on passive safety features like airbags and seatbelts. However, recent advances in automotive technology have seen new cars fitted with advanced safety assist technologies that can actively help drivers avoid a collision.

As a result, ANCAP safety ratings also take into account the inclusion of safety equipment and technologies, such as:

• Electronic stability control (ESC)
• Antilock braking systems (ABS)
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Lane departure warning (LDW)
• Blind spot monitoring (BSM)
• Fatigue monitoring systems (FMS)

In coming years, ANCAP is set to introduce a number of dynamic performance tests for safety technologies including ESC, AEB, Lane Support Systems (LSS) and more.

Comparing safety ratings

The higher the ANCAP safety rating, the safer a car is. In fact, research has shown that you have twice the chance of being killed or seriously injured in a 3-star ANCAP safety-rated car compared to a 5-star ANCAP safety-rated car.

But what exactly does each star rating mean for the driver and passenger in the event of a collision? Let’s take a closer look at what each rating means for the driver and passenger when their vehicle is involved in the frontal offset test.

5 stars

5 stars is the highest rating available from ANCAP. In a vehicle with a 5-star rating, the head, body and legs all receive a high level of protection for both the driver and passenger. There is a slight risk of serious injury to the lower legs or to the chest of the passenger, but such injuries are unlikely to be life threatening.

ANCAP recommends cars with a 5-star safety rating.

4 stars

In a 4-star ANCAP safety-rated car, the head and neck receive a high level of protection, which greatly reduces the risk of serious injury or death resulting from impact to these areas. However, there is a moderate risk of serious injury to the chest of both driver and passenger, as well as to the driver’s upper and lower right leg.

3 stars

In a 3-star ANCAP safety-rated car, there is a moderate risk of serious injury to the driver's head, chest, upper legs and lower right leg resulting in death. The passenger receives good protection for the head and lower left leg, and a lower risk of serious injury for the torso, upper left leg and right lower leg.

2 stars

In a 2-star ANCAP safety-rated car, there is a high risk of serious injury or death as a result of injury to the head and right leg of the driver. The torso and upper left leg of both driver and passenger also experience high levels of exposure to serious injury or death.

1 star

In a 1-star ANCAP safety-rated car, there is a very high risk of death or serious injury for both driver and passenger, particularly resulting from injury to the head of both occupants, and to the lower limbs of the driver. While the passenger has a lower risk exposure than the driver, the risk of serious injury or death is high from head injury. ANCAP advises that occupants are likely to die from the injuries sustained in a 1-star rated car.

Frequently asked questions about ANCAP safety ratings

• What types of crashes are most likely to cause serious injury or death?

  According to a report from Monash University, frontal crashes account for approximately 60% of total serious and fatal injury crashes. Side-impact crashes account for the next highest number.

• Why doesn’t ANCAP test for rear-end collisions?

  Severe rear-end collisions are a relatively rare occurrence. However, since 2011, ANCAP has carried out whiplash tests to assess vehicle seats when a car is hit from the rear.

• Are the cars that ANCAP tests the same cars that I can buy from my local dealership?

  Yes. The vehicles ANCAP uses in crash tests are either purchased from dealerships or taken straight from the car manufacturer’s production line.

• Will ANCAP be introducing new crash tests in the future?

  Yes. From 1 January 2018 ANCAP is aligning with Euro NCAP, which will see the introduction of a number of new physical crash tests and new performance assessments of vehicle safety assist technologies.

• Does ANCAP provide a child protection rating for each car it tests?

  No. A child occupant rating is not published due to the differences in the types of child restraints available in Australia. However, you can find out more about the safety performance of different child restraints through the Child Restraint Evaluation Program, which is run by a consortium of government agencies and motorist organisations.

Check your car's ANCAP safety rating

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