Seven 5 star ANCAP safety ratings gives consumers more choice

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has today released 5 star ANCAP safety ratings for seven vehicles across a range of categories.

Obtaining 5 star ratings are new models to the market – the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest – and well as the new series Volkswagen Passat and Volvo XC90.

The updated models of the Ford Ranger MKII, Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series and the Lexus IS all continue to hold a 5 star ANCAP safety rating.

“It is encouraging to see more 5 star ANCAP safety rated vehicles being released into the Australian and New Zealand markets giving consumers greater choice when buying a new vehicle,” ANCAP Chief Executive Officer James Goodwin said.

“The Volvo XC90 and Lexus IS both have Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) fitted as standard across all variants and we urge new car buyers to ask for this potentially life-saving technology when looking for a new vehicle,” he said.

“Five star ratings for both the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest demonstrates the increasing safety focus in the off-road SUV marketplace,” Mr Goodwin said.

The vehicles receiving a 5 star ANCAP safety rating today are:

• Toyota Fortuner (all variants) - 5 stars
• Ford Everest (all variants) - 5 stars
• Volkswagen Passat (all variants – sedan and wagon) - 5 stars
• Volvo XC90 (all diesel variants) - 5 stars
• Ford Ranger MKII (all variants) - 5 stars
• Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series (all LC200 variants) - 5 stars
• Lexus IS (IS 250, IS350, IS 300h, and IS 200t variants) - 5 stars

“The proportion of models achieving a 5 star ANCAP safety rating has gradually increased from zero in 2002 to 77 per cent of rated models on sale today,” Mr Goodwin said.