Five stars for four
ANCAP has released top safety ratings for BYD’s Seal 6, the MG4 EV Urban and Tesla Model Y L, alongside a reassessment of the Skoda’s Octavia.
It says the Seal 6, pictured, was the leading performer in this batch of results, earning the highest adult-occupant protection score at 92 per cent.
Available as a sedan and a wagon, the large plug-in hybrid earned strong marks across all four pillars of assessment. In crash tests, protection was good across nearly all critical body regions for the driver and passengers.
The MG4 EV Urban, a small battery-electric car, earned five stars with solid results across all pillars. Its crash-protection performance was also strong, with good protection across key body regions in frontal and side-impact tests.
Its autonomous emergency braking performed well in forward pedestrian and cyclist scenarios. The five-star rating applies to all variants of the model.
The six-seat, three-row Model Y L has secured five stars, carrying through strong results in safety assist and adult-occupant protection. The rating is based on testing of the related five-seater with extra assessments undertaken to ensure the results were applicable to the longer wheelbase variant.
Difficulties were identified with the child-restraint installation in the second-row seats where many restraints couldn’t be correctly installed due to limitations with top-tether routing.
In the third row, the rear and forward-facing convertible child restraints couldn’t be easily installed using the IsoFix anchorages. As a result, care should be taken when selecting and installing child restraints in these positions.
The Skoda Octavia, meanwhile, retains its five-star rating following reassessment of vehicles built from July 2025.
Carla Hoorweg, chief executive officer of ANCAP, says: “The results highlight clear strengths across these models. The Seal 6 leads the group on adult-occupant protection, the Model Y L tops it on safety assist and the MG4 EV Urban holds its own against both.
“Buyers have more choice than ever before. Star ratings provide independent, rigorous assessments of how well vehicles prevent crashes and protect occupants, and other road users, in serious crashes. Safety information should always be non-negotiable in any vehicle purchase.”
