Mixed safety result breaks second-highest seller’s five-star run

• BYD’s new plug-in hybrid people mover, the M9, and its mid-size SUV, the SEALION 5 have been rated following local ANCAP testing and assessment against the 2026-2028 Stages of Safety criteria.

• The BYD M9 achieves the maximum five-star rating, while the SEALION 5 achieves three stars.

• The M9’s result adds to the suite of five-star ANCAP safety ratings achieved by all other BYD models rated by ANCAP to date, while the SEALION 5 is the first to fall short of the brand’s established standard.

BYD M9

An extensive range of new safety features encouraged through ANCAP’s 2026-2028 rating requirements are standard on the BYD M9. As a people mover suited to larger families and passenger transport operators, the M9 includes Safe Driving features such as stature classification, child presence detection and a driver distraction system. All performed well.

Its Crash Avoidance functions, including auto emergency braking and lane departure prevention, demonstrated good performance across many of the assessed scenarios.

Physical Crash Protection tests demonstrated good results, with low levels of occupant injury risk recorded in almost all areas. Whiplash protection was good for first and second-row seating positions, with a marginal level of whiplash protection noted for third row seats.

A vehicle’s ability to safely accommodate child restraints remains a fundamental aspect of ANCAP’s assessment and rating criteria. As a three-row vehicle, the M9 provides top-tether child restraint anchorages for second row seating positions and the left outboard seat of the third row, however many of the child restraints assessed could not be correctly installed in that position.

The BYD M9 scored an unblemished 100% for Post-Crash, meeting all emergency information provision requirements, demonstrating effective battery voltage isolation and post-crash fire-risk management, and providing occupants with accessible internal and external door releases. eCall is also provided.

The five-star rating currently applies to seven-seat variants.

BYD SEALION 5

The BYD SEALION 5 offers a mixed level of safety performance. Crash test results showed the SEALION 5 provides adult and child occupants with respectable Crash Protection, however the new Virtual and Sled test assessments showed that protection was reduced for larger occupants and at higher test severity.

The aspects limiting the SEALION 5 are its Crash Avoidance and Safe Driving performance. While some of the features encouraged under the Stages of Safety criteria are not offered, shortcomings were also identified in established areas of assessment.

Of note, the SEALION 5’s emergency lane keeping system did not intervene when tested in road-edge scenarios. This capability has been encouraged through ANCAP’s rating criteria since 2018. Unintended lane departures are a major contributor to road trauma in Australia, accounting for 42% of fatal crashes and 55% of fatalities resulting from light-vehicle crashes^.

Child presence detection - assessed since 2023 - is not provided.

The SEALION 5 also misses out a number of other important safety features - several of which are fitted to the M9 and other current BYD models including: Seatbelt misuse alert - warns if a seatbelt is worn incorrectly Stature classification - recognises occupant size so restraints can respond appropriately Low-speed pedal-misapplication - suppresses engine power if the accelerator is pressed by mistake when a pedestrian is ahead

The plug-in hybrid SEALION 5 offers a similar range of Post-Crash safety features to the M9 - such as battery thermal management, multi-collision braking, and occupant egress options - however eCall functionality is not provided.

The three-star rating applies to both the Essential and Premium SEALION 5 variants.

QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO ANCAP CEO, CARLA HOORWEG:

“BYD is leaving a noticeable mark on the Australian and New Zealand new car markets, quickly rising to become Australia’s second highest-selling brand since its arrival in 2022.”

“Since then BYD has been, and continues to be, proactive in bringing forward models for ANCAP testing. However, the SEALION 5 was a model the brand hadn’t actively pursued for testing, and was subsequently selected by ANCAP to ensure consumers have a clear picture of its safety performance.”

“Both the M9 and SEALION 5 have been tested against our latest 2026-2028 star rating requirements. These requirements continue to encourage balanced safety performance across all four stages of assessment, with the SEALION 5 not able to match the safety offering of its stablemate.”

“The results produced through ANCAP’s independent vehicle selection and testing provide valuable information for consumers who, without it, may be unclear as to how different vehicle models compare.”

^ https://www.monash.edu/_data/assets/pdffile/0009/3219570/The-Potential-Benefits-of-LKAS-in-Australia-MUARC-Report-365.pdf