What do the star ratings mean?
Safety ratings explained
ANCAP safety ratings are determined based on a series of internationally recognised, independent crash tests and safety assessments shared by ANCAP and our European counterpart, Euro NCAP. Each star rating is determined following a series of destructive physical crash tests, an assessment of on-board safety features and equipment, and performance tests of active collision avoidance technologies.
Vehicles are evaluated against four key assessment areas, or 'pillars':
KEY ASSESSMENT AREAS
Adult Occupant Protection
Child Occupant Protection
Vulnerable Road User Protection
Safety Assist
A range of tests and assessments are conducted for each assessment pillar, with vehicles required to meet minimum score thresholds for each star rating level. Importantly, the overall star rating of a vehicle is limited by its lowest performing pillar of assessment to encourage vehicle manufacturers to offer balanced safety performance across all areas.
To achieve the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, a vehicle must perform to the highest level across all key areas of assessment.
Adult Occupant Protection
Maximum Score
Minimum %
Child Occupant Protection
Maximum Score
Minimum %
Vulnerable Road User Protection
Maximum Score
Minimum %
Safety Assist
Maximum Score
Minimum %
The simplest way to see how your vehicle stacks up when it comes to safety is to check how many stars it has earned. Today, the majority of new vehicles sold achieve a five-star rating – an excellent achievement by vehicle manufacturers to ensure they provide their customers with the safest vehicles possible.
Every three years, the tests and test criteria we use to rate vehicles become harder to meet so that all road users can benefit from safety improvements. Checking the “TESTED” datestamp ensures you are comparing vehicles rated to similar test criteria. ANCAP recommends that you choose a vehicle with the highest safety rating possible, with a datestamp of no older than six years.
Provides a high and balanced level of safety performance across all assessment areas. Equipped with a range of passive safety features and active safety systems to protect or minimise injury to occupants and other road users
Provides an adequate level of safety performance yet fell short in one or more key assessment areas. May present a higher injury risk to occupants and/or other road users in certain scenarios or have a reduced ability to avoid a crash.
Provides a reduced level of safety performance. Structural failures or severe cabin intrusion may occur in a crash. Higher likely risk of injury to occupants and/or other road users. May offer limited collision avoidance capability.
Provides limited safety performance. Likely to be lacking a number of, or show inadequate performance of its, modern collision avoidance technologies. May pose a risk of serious head and body injuries to occupants in a crash.
Provides a low level of safety performance. May offer lower protection in the event of a crash and/or may lack the ability to avoid a crash through omission or basic performance of active safety systems.
Provides a poor level of structural and/or active safety performance. May lack basic safety features.
For those looking for additional detail, performance scores for each of the four key assessment areas are published as a percentage.
Adult Occupant Protection
Child Occupant Protection
Vulnerable Road User Protection
Safety Assist
What’s the safest car for me?
Rating Validity
Vehicles rated by ANCAP are generally subject to a six year period of rating validity. This aligns with the general lifespan of passenger vehicles and ensures ratings between vehicle models can more easily be compared.
The majority of vehicle models will be replaced by all-new models within this six-year timeframe, but where they aren’t, ANCAP encourages vehicle manufacturers to upgrade the safety features and technologies within those vehicles to ensure they continue to provide the best levels of safety for new car buyers.
Unrated Vehicles
In some cases, ratings may not be available for all vehicle makes, models and variants. In these cases, these models are classified as, ‘unrated’. Where a vehicle is ‘unrated’, its safety performance is untested and hence unknown. The safety performance of a vehicle cannot be assumed or inferred based on the safety performance of other similar vehicles that are rated.
If you can’t find an ANCAP safety rating for your car and would like to check if there is one available, contact us.
Vehicles have evolved, and so has ANCAP
Innovation doesn’t stop, and as such, cars are getting safer and smarter. In recognising this, ANCAP’s test and rating process has also evolved. The criteria we use to rate vehicles have increased incrementally over the past three decades, and today, these criteria are updated every three years.
To learn more about the evolution of ANCAP and how vehicle safety is changing...
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