Australia’s most high-profile new dual cab utility, the Kia Tasman, has secured a coveted five-star ANCAP safety rating, following comprehensive independent testing under the 2023–2025 criteria.

As Kia’s debut ute and one of the most eagerly awaited arrivals in the Australian market, the Tasman scored highly across all key safety areas: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist.

This top-tier result comes amid a surge in popularity for utes across Australia and New Zealand. June 2025 sales data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows four of the five top-selling vehicles in Australia were dual-cab utes, with light commercial vehicles making up more than a quarter (25.3%) of new vehicle sales.

3

The Kia Tasman now joins the ranks of five-star rated rivals like the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Isuzu D-Max, and BYD Shark 6. New Zealand reported similar sales patterns, with utes claiming four of the top eight spots.

“The popularity of utes among consumers continues to rise. Given their time spent on the road both as commercial workhorses and family transport, it is important that models in this high-volume segment offer robust levels of safety,” said ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg.

In testing, the Tasman showed strong performance, particularly in crash protection and collision avoidance scenarios. It scored highly in the frontal offset crash test with low risk of injury to both adult and child occupants. Additionally, its relatively low crash compatibility risk – a measure of how much danger a vehicle poses to others – was notable for a vehicle of its size.

A minor issue was detected during the full-width frontal crash test, where the driver dummy’s pelvis slipped beneath the lap section of the seatbelt, resulting in a small penalty.

5

“With such strong market presence and consumer demand, it’s pleasing to see manufacturers continuing to prioritise safety in this segment,” added Ms Hoorweg. “The dual cab shopping list is already healthy, and we expect it to grow with new contenders entering the market. Consumers and fleet buyers should check the ANCAP website regularly to make informed, safe purchasing decisions.”

The five-star ANCAP rating currently applies to 4×4 dual cab Tasman variants on sale, excluding the X-Line and X-Pro models. Rear-wheel-drive 4x2s, as well as upcoming single-cab and cab-chassis variants, remain unrated.