Affordable EVs show five-star safety is achievable

Two new affordable electric vehicles have secured five-star ANCAP safety ratings, putting established manufacturers on notice in a rapidly expanding new car market.

The Leapmotor B05 and Geely EX2 – both priced below AUD$40,000 – offer Australian and New Zealand consumers a broad range of standard safety features, good levels of crash protection, and well-rounded crash avoidance.

These models are just the second and third to be put through ANCAP’s more comprehensive Stages of Safety assessment criteria, introduced this year to keep pace with changing vehicle technology and the evolving safety challenges faced by drivers and other road users.

LEAPMOTOR B05

The Leapmotor B05 delivered strong Crash Avoidance performance, with its lane departure collision prevention system scoring close to full points and its autonomous emergency braking system performing well across a broad range of scenarios. Some of ANCAP’s new low-speed ‘start-from-stop’ scenarios – including those designed to address pedal misapplication and driveway runover risks – remain areas for further development.

The B05 demonstrated impressive results for the foundational assessment area of Crash Protection (92%). ANCAP assessments from 2026 factor in the level of protection a vehicle provides to occupants of a broader range of sizes and statures, with the Leapmotor B05 showing the benefits of a well-designed vehicle structure and restraints in minimising injury to large, small and mid-sized occupants across a range of test impact speeds.

The B05 also scored well in Post Crash. One of the post-crash features being encouraged by ANCAP is eCall, which allows a vehicle to automatically notify emergency responders of the location and severity of a crash. Through ANCAP’s encouragement, all B05 vehicles entering the AUS/NZ markets are equipped with eCall hardware which will support a fully-operational eCall function expected to be rolled out by Leapmotor in coming months. At that time, all existing and new B05 owners will gain access to this important emergency feature.

In the Safe Driving assessment area, the B05 demonstrated capability across a number of the new features now being assessed by ANCAP, while also highlighting opportunities for further development as these technologies mature.

The Leapmotor B05 adds to the brand’s safety rating mantle, with the Leapmotor C10 and B10 battery electric models rated by ANCAP in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

GEELY EX2

The diminutive Geely EX2 showed it can punch above its weight, achieving 79% for Safe Driving. Its occupant monitoring system can recognise incorrect seatbelt use – such as a driver using only the lap portion of the belt – and also can adjust restraints according to the stature of front-seat occupants. Its driver monitoring system performed strongly in detecting common forms of distraction.

The EX2 demonstrated capable Crash Avoidance performance, with its autonomous emergency braking and lane support systems performing well across the majority of tested scenarios. Its lane support system was particularly effective in helping prevent collisions with oncoming and overtaking vehicles and motorcycles. Some of ANCAP’s newer low-speed scenarios proved more challenging, including turning across the path of another vehicle or motorcycle, reversing toward a pedestrian, and pedal misapplication.

In Crash Protection, the EX2 provided generally good protection across ANCAP’s frontal and side impact tests. An elevated risk of leg injury was recorded for the driver in the frontal offset test and Geely is encouraged to identify improvements for future model upgrades. Importantly for other road users, the crash compatibility of the EX2 was impressive - likely owing to its smaller size and available frontal crush space due to the absence of a traditional internal combustion engine.

In Post Crash, the electric EX2 demonstrated effective battery voltage isolation and post-crash fire risk management, while doors, seatbelt buckles and the tailgate remained operable following crash impact. As is the case with the Leapmotor B05, eCall hardware is present in all EX2 vehicles from launch, with Geely expected to activate eCall functionality to all existing and newly-purchased vehicles within 12 months.

ANCAP safety ratings are now available for three models within the Geely stable – the EX2, EX5 and Starray EM-i.

“These results show that choosing a more affordable electric vehicle doesn’t have to mean compromising on safety,” said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, Carla Hoorweg.

“The Leapmotor B05 and Geely EX2 have got the fundamentals right, delivering good crash protection, effective crash avoidance technology and important safety features as standard.”

“The B05 and EX2 are among the first models assessed against our new criteria, setting a strong early standard for five-star safety.”

“With more brands and models entering the Australian and New Zealand markets, safety is another area where manufacturers need to compete. These results show buyers that newer and lesser-known brands can deliver five-star safety at an affordable price.”