Trio score top marks for safety
Safety experts at ANCAP are praising the performance of two electric vehicles (EVs) after awarding the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Volvo XC40 Recharge five-star ratings.
The traditionally-powered Hyundai Tucson has also scored a top rating in the latest announcement from Australasia’s independent vehicle safety authority.
The Ioniq 5, pictured, hit the New Zealand market in September and ANCAP says the model’s full complement of active and passive safety features and technologies helped it notch the best possible rating.
High scores were also achieved in the full-width frontal test, the side-impact test, and the oblique pole test.
The design of the car was also assessed for its ability to protect its occupants and those of any other vehicles in a crash.
It recorded a low risk to the “crash partner” vehicle with a minimal 0.22-point penalty applied, which is the best score ANCAP has seen in this assessment area since vehicle compatibility scoring was introduced in 2020.
Carla Hoorweg, chief executive officer, says: “The Ioniq 5’s good measure of safety performance coupled with its green drivetrain provides families and fleet buyers with a good all-round choice.
“We know safety and environmental performance are top-of-mind considerations for the majority of new car buyers today, and it’s pleasing to see Hyundai prioritise five-star safety in this new market offering.”
The Volvo XC40’s newly-released plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and pure electric variants also came under scrutiny and achieved the same five-star rating its petrol and diesel versions collected in 2018.
ANCAP says this rating extension follows additional testing undertaken on the alternative-powered T5 Recharge and T8 Recharge variants.
Hoorweg adds: “To ensure safety is not compromised for consumers wanting to buy an alternative-powered vehicle, for battery and hybrid electric vehicles we conduct additional checks to make sure they don’t pose unique risks such as battery rupture or electrical hazards to the occupants or first responders.
“This gives consumers peace-of-mind and assists fleet buyers in meeting their safety and environmental targets.”
The Hyundai Tucson entered New Zealand and Australian markets this year and has also delivered a five-star effort after producing similar levels of safety performance to that of the Ioniq 5.
ANCAP highlights that higher variants of the Tucson offer a child-presence-detection (CPD) system, which provides the driver with an audible alert if movement is detected in the second-row seats after the ignition has been turned off and the car locked.
CPD systems will begin to be formally assessed by ANCAP and contribute to a vehicle’s overall safety rating from 2023.
To view full details on the safety performance of the three vehicles, click here.
