Five-star performers
Five new models for the New Zealand and Australian market have been awarded five-star safety ratings by ANCAP Safety.
The organisation says the round of results highlights the high level of safety performance now being achieved by emerging and established manufacturers.
All results in the recent announcement have been assessed and published under ANCAP’s 2023-2025 criteria.
Among those to score a top rating is the Leapmotor B10, which recorded high overall results across adult occupant protection, child occupant protection and safety assist.
It marks included a 95 per cent child occupant protection score, equal to the highest achieved under ANCAP’s 2023-2025 testing criteria.
Joining it on five stars is Geely’s Starray EM-i, the brand’s first plug-in hybrid model to be rated by ANCAP. It achieved a “well-balanced result”, including an 86 per cent vulnerable road user protection score, reflecting effective pedestrian and cyclist protection performance.
The Zeekr 7X, pictured, the marque’s second model assessed by ANCAP, achieved high scores for adult and child occupant protection, with maximum points awarded in side impact and oblique pole crash tests.
Assessors say the Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe produced an excellent performance in adult occupant protection and had the highest vulnerable road user protection score among the group of recently tested vehicles, while Kia’s EV4 also achieved a five-star rating.
Carla Hoorweg, ANCAP’s chief executive officer, says: “As more new models and emerging brands arrive on our roads, independent safety assessment remains critical.
“ANCAP testing provides consumers with clear, comparable information, and ensures vehicles meet the highest standards for protection, regardless of badge or price point.”
Toyota bZ4X units built from October 2025 have been given an updated five-star rating, as has its twin, the Subaru Solterra, after specification updates made by the respective manufacturers.
Meanwhile, the existing five-star rating for the MG HS, originally published for petrol variants, has been extended to hybrid and plug in hybrid models after additional testing confirmed comparable safety performance and high-voltage system integrity.
