The independent automotive safety authority ANCAP has awarded the new generation the highest rating of five stars Toyota HiLux And Hyundai Palisadeand the incoming one Denza B5 And GAC Aion Vbut given the 2026 Mitsubishi ASX a four star rating.
The local auto safety testing organization has crash tested the new HiLux ute, Palisade large SUV and B5 large off-road SUV. However, the ANCAP ratings for the Aion V mid-size SUV and ASX small SUV are based on Euro NCAP testing.
The Toyota HiLux received an adult protection rating of 84 percent, a child protection rating of 89 percent, a vulnerable road user protection rating of 82 percent and a safety assistance rating of 82 percent.
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This rating applies to all variants with the exception of the Rugged X, which is still “not rated”.
ANCAP says the new generation ute – which is based on the previous generation despite having fresh styling inside and out – “performed consistently well in testing across all four rating pillars”.
Some lower ratings were given, including for protection of the rider’s neck in the full-width frontal test (marginal) and chest protection in the oblique bar test (adequate).
It also received an eight-point penalty (out of a possible eight points) for vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility in the frontal offset test because its structure posed “a greater risk to the occupants of an oncoming vehicle.”
Another popular name tag, this Mitsubishi ASXwas also rated by ANCAP. However, no local crash tests were carried out for the second generation ASX, which is a rebadged Renault Captur.
ANCAP therefore based its safety assessment on Euro NCAP tests of the Captur and Symbioz carried out in Europe in 2024, with Mitsubishi providing the safety agency with technical information and additional test data to show that the Renaults’ results could also be applied to the ASX.
The ASX received an adult protection rating of 76 percent, a child protection rating of 83 percent, a vulnerable road user protection rating of 76 percent and a safety assistance rating of 70 percent.
ANCAP notes that adult occupant protection was limited by a weak rating for driver chest protection in the frontal offset crash test, as well as the lack of a front center airbag, which can help limit contact between the heads of front-seat occupants in side impacts.
This resulted in the ASX missing out on a five-star rating.
However, among small SUVs, the ASX is far from alone in receiving a rating of less than five stars, with the best-selling Hyundai Kona and MG ZS also carrying a four-star rating.
ANCAP said the ASX’s rating “should be noted by fleet buyers and consumers as a departure from the popular vehicle’s previous rating”. The last ASX had a five-star rating, but this was based on less stringent testing procedures in place during testing in 2014. This classification also expired in 2022.
The second generation Hyundai Palisade received a five-star safety rating and received full marks for child protection in the frontal and side-impact crash tests and full marks for adult protection in the side-impact and oblique post crash tests.
It received an adult protection rating of 84 percent, a child protection rating of 86 percent, a vulnerable road user protection rating of 71 percent and a safety assistance rating of 73 percent.
This rating applies to both the seven- and eight-seat Palisade variants.
ANCAP found the Palisade received a penalty for a loss of footwell integrity in the frontal offset test, with a small opening found in the seam between panels in the footwell.
It also noted that Hyundai “did not provide sufficient data for the vehicle-to-vehicle impact scenario, so this was neither evaluated nor rewarded.”
The Denza B5one of the two debut models from the premium brand BYD, received a five-star rating.
It received an adult protection rating of 86 percent, a child protection rating of 95 percent, a vulnerable road user protection rating of 74 percent and a safety assistance rating of 78 percent.
While impact protection was strong, ANCAP achieved a rating of “Sufficient” for driver chest protection in the frontal offset test and for edge protection in the inclined post test.
ANCAP also praised the B5 for its direct child presence detection system, which issues a warning if a child may have been left in the vehicle and even intervenes by activating the air conditioning if the driver does not respond to the initial warning.
After all, that’s it GAC Aion V received a five-star rating, with an adult protection rating of 88 percent, a child protection rating of 87 percent, a vulnerable road user protection rating of 79 percent and a safety assistance rating of 79 percent.
“The vehicle demonstrated strong side impact and oncoming impact performance, placing the Aion V among some of Australia’s best safety records,” ANCAP said in its press release.
While ANCAP noted that child presence detection had been incorporated, it said it did not meet requirements and therefore its inclusion would not be rewarded.
The Aion V is the first of GAC’s three debut models on sale here to receive an ANCAP rating, while the Emzoom small SUV and M8 people mover have yet to be rated.
This final round of testing was conducted before the revised assessment criteria came into effect on January 1, 2026.
The key changes focus on intrusive driver assistance technology and cars without physical buttons. There will also be four new pillars for testing: safe driving, accident avoidance, accident protection and post-crash, all of which have a total of 100 points.
MORE: The new ANCAP safety rating targets pesky technology, electric vehicles and triple zero calls
MORE: All Toyota HiLux • Mitsubishi ASX • Hyundai Palisade • Denza B5 • GAC Aion V
