Popular Japanese small car hit with shock one star safety rating: 2025 Suzuki Swift slammed by ANCAP in blow for Kia Picanto, Mazda2 and MG3 rival

The new Suzuki Swift has received a one star safety score from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

The new Swift went on sale a few months ago and ANCAP were informed of physical differences between the one sold in Australia compared to European versions that had already received a three star score.

The resulting local testing showed some concerning elements, according to ANCAP boss Carla Horrweg.

“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,” said Hoorweg.

It wasn’t just a lack of active safety aids that held the Swift back, it performed particularly poorly in the physical crash tests.

The Swift received a 47 per cent mark for adult occupant protection, which is one of the lowest scores recorded for modern cars.

During the front offset crash test, which mimics a head-on collision with an oncoming car hitting the front right of the vehicle, there was weak chest protection for the driver and poor for the head of the six-year-old child dummy.

It also scored just 59 per cent for child occupant protection.

The car was rated as having weak and poor protection for the dummy that mimics a 10-year-old in a side impact crash test.

There was also inadequate protection for rear seat passengers in the full width frontal crash test.

The Swift gained its one star rating thanks to good vulnerable road user protection, which accounts for pedestrian and cyclist collisions.

It is fitted with safety aids such as auto emergency braking that automatically applies the brakes if the sensors detect a potential collision and lane keep assist that automatically helps keep the car centred in its lane.

It was marked down for missing driver attention warning and rear seat occupant reminder. Blind spot warning is only available on more expensive variants.

Small cars generally perform worse in crash tests due to their light weight and compact dimensions.

The new MG3 small hatchback was given three stars earlier this year as was the Hyundai i30 sedan.

ANCAP also announced maximum scores for the new Toyota Prado and Kia EV5.

Both vehicles performed well in crash tests and are fitted with a wide variety of active driver aids that are well calibrated.

Hoorweg said: “The new Toyota Prado delivers a robust level of safety that aligns with the expectations of fleet buyers and everyday consumers. This is yet another strong result with the new generation Prado demonstrating Toyota’s continued focus on safety across its model line-up.”

“The Kia EV5 has been put through its paces, with notable areas of good performance as well as some areas we hope Kia will look to enhance,” she said.