ANCAP: Five stars for 2024 BYD Sealion 6

The 2024 BYD Sealion 6 has been awarded a five-star safety rating by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), continuing the Chinese brand’s perfect record.

The plug-in hybrid medium SUV garnered solid results across all four major facets of testing, scoring 88 per cent for its adult occupant protection, 86 per cent for child occupant protection, 83 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 75 per cent for its safety assists.

According to testers, many of the Sealion 6’s scores were carried over from the Euro NCAP testing of its Seal-U battery-electric sister car, however some additional local tests still had to be carried out on account of its differing powertrain.

Highlights included maximum points for rear passenger protection in the full-width frontal test and full points for critical body protection in the frontal offset test, along with a series of ‘good’ showings in various others.

Blemishes meantime included a ‘marginal’ performance of the model’s reverse autonomous braking, the ‘moderate’ risk it poses to oncoming vehicles in the frontal offset test and an underperforming safe-exit system.

“The Sealion 6 is fitted with a cyclist anti-dooring system that provides information if a bicycle is approaching from the rear, however the information was not sufficiently early to be awarded points for this function,” testers said.

Even so, ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg praised BYD for its continued run of top safety ratings with the Sealion 6 being the fourth five-star-rated model from the Chinese manufacturer alongside the Seal, Dolphin and Atto3.

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