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Check out the latest edition of the ANCAPStar. This edition contains the latest ANCAP safety ratings and news from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).
ANCAP is Australasia's leading independent vehicle safety advocate. ANCAP provides Australian and New Zealand consumers with independent vehicle safety information through the publication of ANCAP safety ratings. ANCAP safety ratings take into account the level of occupant and pedestrian protection provided by new cars through the conduct of physical crash tests and the assessment of collision avoidance technologies.
Our member organisations include all Australian automobile clubs, the New Zealand Automobile Association, Australian Federal, State & Territory Governments, the New Zealand Government, the Victorian Transport Accident Commission, NRMA Insurance and the FIA Foundation (UK).
Meet all of our member organisations.
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| From left: Andrew Miller, James Goodwin, Wendy Machin, Michiel Van Ratingen. |
Euro NCAP visits ANCAP.
A high level delegation from Euro NCAP visited Australia in March to discuss the next phase in the project to align both new car assessment protocols in 2018.
The delegation was led by Euro NCAP Chair, Mr Andrew Miller and Secretary-General, Mr Michiel van Ratingen and included formal discussions on technical policies and testing protocols and they attended an ANCAP frontal offset crash test in Sydney.
The ANCAP Board welcomed the European colleagues with a dinner at New South Wales Parliament House, which was attended by the Minister for Roads, Hon. Duncan Gay MLC and Minister for Police, the Hon. Troy Grant MP as well as stakeholders from the vehicle and insurance sectors.
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New global testing protocol proposed.
The development of a new, global best-practice testing protocol covering Europe, Australasia and eventually Asia, was the key outcome of the meeting between Euro NCAP and ANCAP representatives in Sydney in March.
Once implemented in 2018, both organisations would adopt an identical set of protocols for rating and assessing a vehicle's safety.
The new protocol would allow both parties to share results, with ANCAP results published in Europe for the first time. The agreement would also encourage the same safety assist technologies in both regions, aiming to reduce any de-specification of safety features between markets.
The full alignment of programs has numerous benefits for both organisations, with the ability to leverage the impact of the respective consumer advocacy campaigns and sets a global standard for the vehicle industry and other NCAPs.
There is much work to do in the lead up to the alignment including the confirmation of test protocol and working through regulatory differences such as child restraint systems. Both NCAPs have agreed to cooperate closely in the coming period to deliver the best possible outcome.
From 2018, the key changes to strengthen ANCAP's test program will include new and updated physical crash tests including:
- whiplash test for rear seats
- full-width frontal test
- oblique side pole test
- side impact test (heavier, stiffer, wider barrier + WorldSID dummy)
- pedestrian test (new FlexPLI lower leg impactor + updates to upper leg test)
New assessment tests for collision avoidance and collision mitigation technologies include:
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems
- Intelligent speed assistance systems
ANCAP is looking forward to continuing a collaborative partnership with Euro NCAP and from 2018 having a crash test program adhering to the most advanced standards and protocols.
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ANCAP Submission to the National Transport Commission: Regulatory Barriers to more Automated Road and Rail Vehicles Issues Paper
ANCAP has used its submission to the National Transport Commission (NTC) issues paper on driverless cars to demonstrate that improvement of vehicle safety lies with greater uptake of autonomous technologies, as human error is believed to be a factor in over 90 per cent of road crashes.
In summary, key points on the introduction of autonomous vehicle technology include:
- ANCAP supports and will actively encourage the introduction of autonomous vehicle technology to assist the driver and improve road safety
- ANCAP has a key role in educating consumers and building community confidence in autonomous technology
- ANCAP supports Federal, state and territory governments working with the vehicle industry and other stakeholders to overcome any regulatory concerns limiting the introduction or use of autonomous technology
- ANCAP supports comprehensive on and off road trials of autonomous technology
- ANCAP recommends that safety should remain a top priority in all discussions on autonomous technology or driverless vehicles.
The full submission can be found here.
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ANCAP and VRSG agree to work on new guidelines.
A key outcome of the ANCAP Council meeting in March was the establishment of a Working Group of ANCAP, Vehicle Safety and Research Group and other stakeholders, to develop guidelines on when and how an ANCAP Rating should be used and when a Used Car Safety Rating should be published.
Thirteen ANCAP Council Members attended the productive meeting which was held at the Crashlab test facility in Sydney. Following the meeting, Council Members witnessed a crash test and undertook a tour of the facility.
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ANCAP works with automotive industry to improve road safety.
ANCAP has had a successful few months working with multiple manufacturers to improve the safety of the vehicles available to the community.
Models from both Kia and Hyundai, the Carnival and Tucson respectively, received disappointing 4 star ratings in their initial tests in 2015. Following these tests, ANCAP worked with the manufacturers to identify steps that might rectify these issues through both design and production line changes and following significant safety-related improvements ANCAP tested the updated models, both of which achieved the 5 star safety rating.
These cases highlighted the importance of local, independent vehicle testing to ensure that consumers can be accurately informed about the vehicles they are looking to purchase and also the actions of a responsible brand, concerned about the safety of their customers.
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AEB cooperation in USA gains momentum.
ANCAP has been monitoring encouraging developments in the United States to improve fitting rates of Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB).
The U.S. Department of Transportation, its National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have gained considerable support for their industry commitment to make autonomous emergency braking (AEB) a standard feature on all new vehicles by 2022.
Twenty vehicle manufacturers have now signed on to the agreement, representing 99 percent of the US new car market. Participating manufacturers are Audi, BMW, FCA US LLC, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Tesla Motors Inc., Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo Car US.
ANCAP will meet with the local industry to discuss improving AEB fitting rates. By 2018, it would be unlikely for a vehicle in Australasia to achieve a 5 star ANCAP safety rating without AEB.
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Latest media releases.
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17 March 2016
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Kia Carnival achieves 5 stars after another round of updates
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The leading independent vehicle safety advocate, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), has released a 5 star safety rating for the updated Kia Carnival following several safety-related improvements to the popular people mover.
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25 January 2016
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Two new vehicles achieve 5 stars with strong focus on pedestrian safety
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The leading independent vehicle safety advocate, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has today issued a 5 star ANCAP safety rating to the Mercedes-Benz GLC and the Jaguar XE, after they were launched with a suite of advanced safety features as standard.
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SAT Explained: Exit Warning
What is Exit Warning?
Technologies such as Exit Warning scan the road or footpath and warn the occupants of the car of approaching traffic, such as cars and cyclists, and let people know when it's safe to open the door.
It is a relatively new technology which we are just beginning to see come into the new car market and it's hoped that technology like this will help reduce the number of 'dooring' incidents to cyclists.
Information on a range of safety assist technologies can be found at Understanding Safety Features on the ANCAP website.
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ANCAP FAQ:
How does ANCAP testing compare to real world crashes?
Analysis undertaken by the Monash University Accident Research Centre has shown that there is a good correlation between ANCAP crash test results and the vehicle's actual real world performance as measured in the Used Car Safety Ratings. International studies have shown cars that perform better in crash tests provide better occupant protection than vehicles that perform poorly in crash tests. A US study found a driver is 74% less likely to die in cars rated 'Good' than cars rated 'Poor' in car-to-car head-on crash of two cars of similar mass. A Swedish study also found cars with 3 or 4 star safety ratings are approximately 30% safer than cars with 2 star safety ratings.
For more information, visit our section on Crash Testing Explained.
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You asked us...
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Does fitting a bulbar affect the ANCAP safety rating?
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Our expert said...
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ANCAP crash tests new, un-modified vehicles available to Australian and New Zealand consumers. ANCAP does not set requirements for, or assess, aftermarket products. The general information provided below is also available at the ANCAP FAQ website.
ANCAP does not test vehicles with bullbars fitted but research tests have shown that a bullbar can adversely affect performance in the ANCAP frontal offset test - increasing the risk of injury to occupants. In modern vehicles, the front crumple zone is usually an optimum design for this severity of crash and a bullbar can change the crumple characteristics away from this optimum. The fitting of bullbars also increases the potential risk of injury to pedestrians.
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You asked us...
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When are you going to make AEB a requirement of a 5 star ANCAP safety rating?
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Our expert said...
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From 2018 ANCAP will be adopting new test protocols which will, amongst other assessments, include performance testing of AEB systems.
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems are encouraged and promoted by ANCAP. Three types of AEB systems (city, interurban, and vulnerable road user) are rewarded through the safety assist component of ANCAP’s assessments, however while AEB systems are encouraged, they are currently not specifically required in order to achieve a 5 star ANCAP rating.
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