Heroes to zeros! Five-star safety performers reach their use-by date: Mazda CX-5, MG 3, BMW X3, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and Toyota C-HR among more than 25 new cars to lose ANCAP ratings in 2024

In line with ANCAP’s six-year lifespan for its new vehicle safety assessment ratings, more than 25 vehicles currently on sale in the Australian new car market were reclassified as ‘Unrated’ on January 1, 2024, many previously carrying a maximum five-star rating.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) is an independent body focused on new vehicle safety performance and over its 30 years in existence has become a prominent advocate for improved safety technology.

ANCAP ratings are an important check item on consumers’ new vehicle shopping lists and often a five-star rating is mandatory for commercial and government fleet managers.

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Scores are compiled across four areas - Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection and Safety Assist with individual systems ranked against ‘Good’, ‘Adequate’, ‘Marginal’, ‘Weak’ and ‘Poor’ descriptions.

Active (crash-avoidance) features are evaluated and passive (crash-safety) performance is physically tested with ANCAP aligning its six-year period of rating validity “with the general lifespan of passenger vehicles” in market.

According to ANCAP, “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”.

This year, the following vehicles (many, as ANCAP contends, coming to the end of their new model life) are now Unrated as their testing was carried out during or before 2017:

• Alfa Romeo Stelvio
• Audi Q5
• BMW iX3, X3 and X4
• Citroen C3
• Fiat 500
• Ford Mustang
• Foton Tunland
• Honda CR-V
• Kia Picanto
• Land Rover Discovery
• Mazda CX-5
• Mazda MX-5
• MG 3
• Mini Countryman
• Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
• Range Rover Velar
• Renault Koleos
• Skoda Karoq
• Skoda Kodiaq
• Toyota C-HR
• Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series Cab Chassis
• Volkswagen Arteon
• Volkswagen T-Roc
• Volvo XC60