5-star ANCAP rating for Euro cars

A range of European vehicles have been awarded 5-star ANCAP safety ratings – the Skoda Kodiaq, Audi Q5, MINI Countryman and the Audi Q2. All four cars come with Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) as standard, and drivers and passenger safety scored highly in the tests, although there was some variance in results when it came to child protection. “Depending on what the main use of your car is, sometimes it’s worth drilling down into the detail behind the rating to ensure it ticks the boxes you want it to, and for the best price, " said AA general manager Stella Stocks. “The Kodiaq has been assessed against the latest criteria offering a range of important safety technologies as standard including autonomous emergency braking, multi-collision braking and speed limiter,” said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, James Goodwin. The top rating, applicable to all 4x4 variants, comes as the SUV is due to reach the New Zealand market. The Audi Q5 5-star rating applies to all Q5 and SQ5 model variants. “It has an advanced autonomous emergency braking system which operates at city and highway speeds, with the added ability to detect and assist in avoiding pedestrians up to a speed of 85km/h,” Goodwin said. The Audi Q2, launched in February, was also tested, and received a 5-star rating, which applies to all variants. “It’s worth noting that Audi has released a higher standard safety specification version of the Q2 in New Zealand than in Australia, which may make it slightly more expensive, but better value for buyers in the long run,” said Stocks. The New Zealand release of the Q2 contains features that are optional in Australia but standard herem including blind spot monitoring, hill launch assist, speed assistance – speed sign recognition and warning, following distance warning, reverse collision avoidance, and trailer stability control. Finally, the new MINI Countryman, which launched in New Zealand in March, has beaten the previous model’s 4-star rating with a top grade. “Not only has Mini improved on the structural performance of the Countryman – they’re offering the highest level of safety assist features seen from the brand with autonomous emergency braking including pedestrian detection, and a speed sign recognition and warning system,” said Goodwin. “Consumers should be buoyed by these ratings which show brands are keeping pace with increasing safety standards.”