Which cars topped ANCAP’s safety ratings?
Find out which cars were considered the safest by ANCAP in 2024, and those that fell well short of the mark.
Toyota’s stalwart sedan, the Camry, has been crowned the top overall safety performer based on ANCAP safety ratings for 2024.
The Toyota Camry (Medium Car, hybrid) secured the highest overall weighted ranking of all vehicle models rated by ANCAP in 2024, earning an impressive score of 88.4%.
ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg said the Camry excelled with a score of 95% for Adult Occupant Protection — the highest AOP score of all vehicles assessed in 2024.
“The Camry remains a stable and reliable choice with a safety pedigree that dates back over 13 years,” Ms Hoorweg said.
The Toyota Camry was the best-performed vehicle assessed by ANCAP in 2024.
Mazda CX-80 and Zeekr X highly rated
Second place was filled by the Mazda CX-80 (Large SUV, petrol/diesel/PHEV) with an overall weighted score of 87.6%.
The CX-80 achieved strong scores across all four assessment categories and received the second-highest Adult Occupant Protection score, with 92%.
“This was assisted by its gaining full points in the side impact, far side impact, whiplash protection, and oblique pole crash tests,” Ms Hoorweg said.
Rounding out the top three, and only marginally behind the CX-80, was a newcomer to Australia’s electric vehicle (EV) market. The all-new Chinese brand Zeekr achieved an overall weighted score of 87.4% for its first arrival, the Zeekr X (Small SUV, electric).
The Mazda CX-80 was judged the second-best performing car by the ANCAP safety assessment.
Ratings favour occupant protection score
Each top performer achieved five-star ANCAP safety ratings, assessed against the 2023–2025 test and rating protocols, with the top three performers determined using an overall weighting calculation.
Emphasis was given to physical crash protection, with 40% of the overall weighting calculation applied to Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and 20% applied to each of the remaining three assessment areas: Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist.
New car models excel on safety
Eleven of the 23 vehicles rated by ANCAP in 2024 were models not previously available in the Australian and New Zealand markets. Each of these, except the Jeep Avenger, achieved a five-star result.
“We saw a handful of new manufacturers enter the mix locally in 2024, and each of these— including Zeekr—has shown their commitment to bringing five-star cars to Australian and New Zealand consumers,” said Ms Hoorweg.
Three-quarters (74%) of all models rated in 2024 achieved the top five-star rating.
The Zeekr X was one of the new cars to the Australian market that achieved a five-star ANCAP rating.
Swift, i30, and Avenger given lower safety ratings
At the other end of the spectrum, the Suzuki Swift received a disappointing one-star safety rating, recording the lowest weighted score of the year at 56.6%.
The Hyundai i30 and Jeep Avenger each achieved three-star ratings, with weighted scores of 68.2% and 68.4%, respectively.
“The new year presents an opportunity for manufacturers with upcoming new models to strive for a top ranking, and for models that didn’t achieve the strongest scores in 2024 to use this as an opportunity to enhance safety with future model iterations,” Ms Hoorweg said.
The complete list of vehicles rated by ANCAP in 2024 can be viewed at www.ancap.com.au/safety-ratings.
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