Safety in numbers! Electric car trio scores maximum ANCAP rating - Tesla Model Y, Kia Niro and Genesis GV60 SUVs officially five-star cars

Electric vehicle sales are on the rise in Australia, with most new EV buyers likely focused on purchase price, energy efficiency and driving range. But safety is a critical issue no matter what motive force is driving the wheels, and three recent zero-emissions SUV arrivals - the Tesla Model Y, Kia Niro EV and Genesis GV60 - have scored a maximum five-star rating from independent safety body, ANCAP.

The just-released, five-seat Tesla Model Y is offered in single-motor rear-wheel drive and dual-motor AWD Performance grades. And it has excelled in each of ANCAP’s four assessment areas - Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist - achieving an all-time record 98 per cent score in the Safety Assist category.

Active (crash-avoidance) technology is a key focus for Tesla, and ANCAP awarded the Model Y maximum points across the majority of collision avoidance tests, which involve vehicle, pedestrian, and cyclist scenarios. 

Specific standard features were called out, including a Driver Monitoring System (DMS) that uses an on-board camera to detect a distracted driver and enhance sensitivity of the Forward Collision Warning (FCW) system.

Inclusion of that system is significant because ANCAP has confirmed “direct DMS functionality” will be part of its updated 2023 test and rating criteria.

All versions of the five-seat Kia Niro SUV - battery electric (BEV), hybrid and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) - were tested, although the PHEV version of the Niro has recently been deleted from the Australian model line-up.

The Niro scored maximum points for front row occupant protection in the side impact and oblique pole tests, upper and lower leg impact tests for pedestrians, as well as its “ability to actively avoid or mitigate a crash with another vehicle in intersection turning scenarios”.

All versions of the Niro scored five stars.

It also received special mention for its front-end design, the Niro’s nose treatment not only pushing Kia in a new direction in terms of styling, ANCAP identified it as, “a relatively ‘benign’ impact partner – presenting a low risk to occupants of an oncoming struck vehicle in the frontal offset (MPDB) crash test”.

The third five-star assessment belongs to the Genesis GV60, also a five-seater, and offered in Lux and Performance grades.

ANCAP says it received “solid” results across the board, with maximum scores for protection of the front-seat passenger in the frontal offset test, the driver in the side impact test, and both child occupants in frontal and side impact crash scenarios.

It wasn’t an entirely rosy picture, though, with ANCAP more guarded on the car’s vulnerable road user protection score.

The front bumper of the GV60 provided good protection to a struck pedestrian’s lower legs.

While it made it across the five-star threshold, the GV60’s result was lower than its competitive set, at 63 per cent.

According to ANCAP: “The front bumper of the GV60 provided good protection to a struck pedestrian’s lower legs, however protection of the pelvis was predominantly Poor with just 0.45 points out of a possible 6.00 points scored in this area of testing.”

Although, ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, Carla Hoorweg summarised the overall results positively.

“All three models offer high levels of safety performance across the range of ANCAP assessment areas, demonstrating the clear ability for electric vehicle models to tick both the safe and green checkboxes,” she said.