The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has released the safety ratings of two new SUVs in the Toyota LandCruiser Prado and Kia EV5, with both models achieving five-star results.
Tested to the organisation’s most stringent criteria yet, the five-star ratings were announced alongside the Suzuki Swift hatchback, which scored one star despite being rated at three stars by ANCAP’s European sibling.
The Prado and EV5 became the 24th and 25th vehicles to achieve the five-star result since the 2023-2025 test criteria was introduced.
| Model | Star rating | Adult Occupant Protection | Child Occupant Protection | Vulnerable Road User Protection | Safety Assist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota LandCruiser Prado | 5 stars | 85% | 89% | 84% | 82% |
| Kia EV5 | 5 stars | 88% | 86% | 74% | 82% |
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Unlike eight models whose scores were released last week, the Prado, EV5 and Swift were all tested in Australia, rather than ANCAP basing their respective scores on those from Euro NCAP.
For the Prado, ANCAP noted good protection to the majority of critical driver and passenger body regions in the frontal offset head-on crash test, however it noted the driver’s lower leg received only adequate protection, and the chest result was marginal.
It achieved maximum points for its protection of the two child dummies seated in the second row, leading to its child occupant protection score which is the fifth-highest tested to the current criteria.
The SUV also performed well across the tests of its active collision avoidance features which are capable of detecting other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
“The new Toyota Prado delivers a robust level of safety that aligns with the expectations of fleet buyers and everyday consumers,” said ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg.
“This is yet another strong result with the new generation Prado demonstrating Toyota’s continued focus on safety across its model lineup.”
The EV5 was noted to have performed impressively in its vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility, while maximum points were scored for the driver in the side impact test.
Like the Prado it achieved maximum points for its protection of the two child dummies seated in the second row in the frontal offset test.
ANCAP said the EV’s safety assist systems also performed well, mentioning its autonomous emergency braking (car-to-car) collision avoidance systems and post-crash, multi-collision braking systems as highlights.
However, the organisation said it discovered a small opening in the footwell seam following the frontal offset test; a reduced level of head-to-head contact protection to front seat occupants in the oblique pole test; and potential hard knee contact for front-seat occupants in the frontal offset test.
Due to these factors, points were deducted from the relevant category scores.
Both vehicles, as well as the Suzuki Swift, are currently on sale and in local showrooms.
The Swift received an adult occupant protection rating of 47 per cent, a child occupant protection rating of 59 per cent, a vulnerable road user protection rating of 76 per cent, and a safety assist rating of 54 per cent.
That netted it a one-star safety rating, despite Euro NCAP awarding three stars. ANCAP attributes this to differences in safety specification between the markets.
“Earlier this year ANCAP was informed of physical differences between locally supplied Swift models and those supplied in Europe so we conducted a range of additional crash tests on local vehicles and found some areas of concern,” said Ms Hoorweg.
“In comparison to the three-star rating achieved by Swift vehicles sold in Europe, vehicles sold in Australia and New Zealand performed differently when crash tested.
“The design of some of the structural elements and restraints in locally sold Swift vehicles appear to lack robustness leading to variation in crash performance.”
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