For the first time, full-size pickup trucks were tested by independent auto safety agency ANCAP, with the Ford F-150 beating out the Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra and Chevrolet Silverado.
ANCAP has compared the American pickup trucks to the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series in its first ADAS (Advanced Driver Assist Systems) safety comparison for major utilities.
However, as the name suggests, no physical crash tests were required; The American pickups have never been crash tested by ANCAP, while the 70 Series was last tested as a single cab/chassis in 2016.
ANCAP tested American pickups because of their growing popularity, pointing out that about 22,500 full-size pickups are sold here annually and sales of the F-150, Tundra, Silverado and Ram 1500 have increased 270 percent since 2019.
“Larger vehicles pose a greater threat to other road users than passenger vehicles,” ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg said in a statement.
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“The best way to reduce the potential risk of death and serious injury from large vehicles is to ensure they do the best they can to avoid an accident.”
“We have applied international best practices in safety testing to this segment to ensure there is an incentive for manufacturers to improve accident avoidance technology.
ANCAP said in the report: “The findings from these initial comparisons will inform the development of a framework for future testing and evaluation, taking into account physical crash protection and driver visibility.”
Although it looks unusual in this group, ANCAP has included the LandCruiser 70 series as its GVM increased to over 3500kg in 2024.
Despite its advanced age, the Toyota managed to beat the newer Chevrolet Silverado despite having a less comprehensive suite of active safety equipment.
The study was carried out at the Australian Automotive Advanced Research Center (AARC) near Anglesea, Victoria. Each vehicle evaluated was tested in 48 different situations testing the effectiveness of various ADAS systems.
Systems tested include autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane assistance systems and features such as speed limit reminders and driver fatigue monitoring.
Scenarios included a car at an intersection; a pedestrian crossing a street; get out of the way of a child when reversing; cyclists; Approaching a vehicle from behind; and an oncoming motorcycle.
The results gave each vehicle an overall safety rating of Platinum (80-100 percent), Gold (60-79 percent), Silver (40-59 percent), Bronze (20-39 percent) or Not Recommended (0-19 percent).
The F-150 Platinum SWB – recently announced as part of the first F-150 update since 2023 – performed best overall and, fittingly, was the only vehicle to achieve a Platinum rating at 81 percent.
ANCAP praised the F-150 for its superior AEB capability during testing, avoiding rear-end collisions when vehicles approached from the front or rear.
It also performed best in the car-to-cyclist relationship, while the Ford also proved most effective at avoiding collisions with motorcyclists.
The Ram 1500 was close behind with a Gold rating, while the Toyota Tundra and LandCruiser 79 Series were rated Silver – with the 79 Series criticized for its lack of active lane assist.
The worst performer was the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ, whose bronze rating seems optimistic given its 27 percent rating.
The Silverado, which only comes with camera AEB, was rated zero out of six for AEB effectiveness between car and cyclist and a weak rating of 0.5 out of three for speed assist systems.
ANCAP praised the Silverado’s “basic car-to-car autonomous braking” but criticized its effectiveness in dealing with vulnerable road users.
The assessments are valid until the end of 2026, with ANCAP suggesting the timeframe allows new models in the commercial vehicle category – such as the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van – to be assessed under the same tests.
