The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has released its latest round of crash test results with strong scores across the board, including an equal highest-ever 95 per cent rating for Child Occupant Protection.

Unsurprisingly, given the speed at which their models are being released, Chinese manufacturers scored well in ANCAP testing, but Kia and Mercedes-Benz also earned the top ratings, while new ratings have been applied to Toyota, Subaru and MG products as well.

The Leapmotor B10 was the highest-scoring car tested in this round, and recorded high overall results across ANCAP’s Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection and Safety Assist criteria, including a 95 percent Child Occupant Protection score, equal to the highest achieved under the 2023-2025 testing criteria.

The Geely Starray EM-i, Geely’s first plug-in hybrid model to be rated by ANCAP, achieved a well-balanced result including a strong 86 percent Vulnerable Road User Protection score, reflecting effective pedestrian and cyclist protection performance.

The Zeekr 7X, the second Zeekr model assessed by ANCAP, achieved high scores for both Adult and Child Occupant Protection, with maximum points awarded in side impact and oblique pole crash tests.

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The Mercedes Benz CLE Coupe achieved a strong five-star safety rating, with excellent performance in Adult Occupant Protection and the highest Vulnerable Road User Protection score of this group.

Finally, the Kia EV4 also achieved a five-star safety rating, reflecting the high standard safety specification supplied to the Australian and New Zealand market.

ANCAP also announced that there is now an updated five-star rating for the Toyota bZ4X, applicable to vehicles built from October 2025. Its twin, the Subaru Solterra, also carries through the updated result following specification updates made by the respective manufacturers.

The existing five star safety rating for petrol variants of the MG HS range has also been extended to hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants, supported by additional testing confirming comparable safety performance and high voltage system integrity.

ANCAP-Ratings-Feb-2026
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