Audi raises benchmark for light car safety

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The Audi A1 has been hailed by Ancap for its ‘impressive score for a vehicle in the light car category’.       

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After a range of tests, the Audi A1 was awarded a five-star safety rating.  

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A range of collision avoidance features are fitted as standard on the A1.  

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The Audi A1 hit New Zealand's roads in May this year.  

The Audi A1 has become the first light car to secure a five-star safety rating from Ancap Safety.

Australasia’s independent vehicle safety authority says the Audi model, which was launched in New Zealand in May this year, scored strongly for its performance in adult occupant protection with a score of 95 per cent. 

It also notched a child occupant protection score of 88 per cent with close to full points recorded by the six and 10-year-old child dummies in the frontal offset and side impact crash tests. 

Ancap says that during its stringent tests, the A1 also performed well for a vehicle in its class in the area of safety assist, achieving a score of 82 per cent. 

The A1 is fitted as standard with a range of collision avoidance features, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keep assist and emergency lane keeping. 
Tests of its AEB system showed “good” performance with collisions avoided or mitigated in most test scenarios. 

ANCAP chief executive James Goodwin says it was an “impressive score for a vehicle in the light car category”. 

“It is encouraging to see vehicle brands prioritise collision avoidance capabilities across their model line-ups, including the smaller city cars which mix regularly with pedestrians and cyclists in addition to other vehicles,” he says.

For full details on the Audi A1 rating, click here.