2024 BYD Dolphin and Seal EVs receive top safety rating

Australia’s cheapest electric vehicle, the BYD Dolphin hatchback, and its bigger Tesla Model 3-baiting mid-size sedan cousin, the BYD Seal, have both received a maximum five-star safety rating by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

The top ratings for the Chinese brand’s new EVs were recorded under ANCAP’s latest 2023 protocols, with the Seal yielding full points for protection of the driver and child passengers in the side impact test, and the driver in the oblique pole test.

“Protection offered to the chest and lower legs of the driver in the frontal offset (MPDB) test, and rear passenger chest in the full-width test, was assessed as ‘adequate’,” ANCAP said in its report.

Final category scores for the Seal were 89 per cent for adult occupant protection, 87 for child occupant protection, 82 for vulnerable road user protection and 75 per cent for its safety assist systems.

The Dolphin netted a mix of ‘good’ and ‘adequate’ protection for adult occupants in crash tests, with a ‘marginal’ level of protection offered to the driver’s chest in the frontal offset test.

“Maximum points were scored for the Dolphin’s child protection to child occupants in both the frontal and side impact tests,” ANCAP said.

The Dolphin was awarded 89 per cent for adult occupant protection and 86 per cent for child occupant protection, while vulnerable road user protection came in at an impressive 85 per cent. It was also given 77 per cent for safety assist.

After an early hiccup, the brand’s only other vehicle on sale in Australia, the BYD Atto 3, also carries a five-star ANCAP rating based on testing conducted last year.

Just one other vehicle has been assessed against the 2023 protocols so far this year, the Lexus RZ, which also garnered a five-star rating.

“Our 2023 test and rating criteria have introduced further requirements for high levels of structural protection as well as new challenges for manufacturers in the area of active safety systems and, pleasingly, the three models rated so far this year have each achieved five-star ratings,” said ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg.

“This is a trend we’d like to see continue as we finalise testing and assessments on a number of new models later this year.”

Some of the extra requirements of the new protocols include head-on, reversing and cyclist/junction testing of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems, more sophisticated vulnerable road user impact testing, cyclist dooring detection testing, motorcycle testing for the AEB and lane support systems, as well as submerged vehicle occupant rescue and extraction testing.

The expanded array of tests was launched in tandem with elevated thresholds for certain categories as well as an overhaul of the scoring module and scaling system for certain tests.

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