Five stars for EVs
Two EVs have secured five-star ANCAP safety ratings to put “established manufacturers on notice in a rapidly expanding new-car market”.
The Leapmotor B05 and Geely EX2 offer a broad range of standard safety features, good levels of crash protection and well-rounded collision avoidance.
These models are the second and third to be put through ANCAP’s more comprehensive Stages of Safety assessment criteria, which was introduced this year to keep pace with changing technology and evolving safety challenges faced by drivers and other road users.
The B05 delivered strong crash-avoidance performance, with its lane-departure collision prevention system scoring close to full points and its autonomous emergency braking (AEB) performing well across a broad range of scenarios.
Some of ANCAP’s new low-speed “start from stop” scenarios – including those designed to address pedal misapplication and driveway runover risks – remain areas for further development.
The Leapmotor demonstrated impressive results for the foundational assessment area of crash protection at 92 per cent.
ANCAP assessments from 2026 factor in the level of protection a vehicle provides to occupants of a broader range of sizes and statures. The B05, pictured, showed the benefits of a well-designed structure and restraints in minimising injury to large, small and mid-sized occupants across test-impact speeds.
The B05 also scored well in post-crash. One of the features being encouraged is eCall, which allows a car to automatically notify emergency responders of the location and severity of an accident.
Through ANCAP’s encouragement, all B05 entering the Kiwi and Australian markets are equipped with hardware to support an operational eCall function expected to be rolled out by Leapmotor in coming months.
In the safe-driving assessment area, the B05 demonstrated capability across new features now being assessed by ANCAP, while also highlighting opportunities for further development as these technologies mature.
Meanwhile, Geely’s EX2 showed it can “punch above its weight” achieving 79 per cent for safe driving. Its occupant monitoring system can recognise incorrect seatbelt use – such as a driver using only the lap portion – and can adjust restraints according to the stature of front-seat occupants. Its driver monitoring system performed strongly in detecting common distractions.
The EX2 demonstrated capable crash-avoidance performance with its AEB and lane-support systems performing well across most tested scenarios. Its lane-support system was particularly effective in helping prevent collisions with oncoming and overtaking vehicles and motorcycles.
Some of ANCAP’s newer low-speed scenarios proved more challenging, such as turning across the path of another vehicle or motorcycle, reversing towards a pedestrian and pedal misapplication.
In crash protection, the EX2 provided generally good protection across ANCAP’s frontal and side-impact tests. An elevated risk of leg injury was recorded for the driver in the frontal-offset test and Geely is encouraged to identify improvements for future model upgrades.
Importantly for other road users, the crash compatibility of the EX2 was impressive – likely owing to its smaller size and available frontal-crush space due to the absence of an internal combustion engine.
In post-crash, the EV demonstrated effective battery-voltage isolation and fire-risk management, while doors, seatbelt buckles and the tailgate remained operable following impact, and eCall hardware is present in all EXs from launch. Geely is expected to activate eCall functionality to all existing and newly purchased vehicles within 12 months.
