ANCAP takes action on annoying lane support systems

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has launched a “pilot research project” that studies the performance of lane keep assist systems on cars that may rate highly under the independent safety authority’s testing regime but have been roundly criticised by drivers, who are turning them off in frustration.

This disconnect between a five-star-rated vehicle and the real-world experience of drivers has been building momentum as car-makers introduce new models with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that customers find annoying and even unsafe.

There are no moves yet from ANCAP to revise its rating system, but changes are anticipated in line with increasingly stringent European NCAP assessment protocols, owing to unnamed brands (“a few rotten apples”) introducing potentially dangerous lane keeping systems.

In the first stage of the pilot program, ANCAP has examined four cars – one deemed a “positive reference” and the others considered among the worst offenders – to assess “the sophistication and integration quality of lane support systems”.

Specifically, this includes:

The initial tests revealed there was “clear room for improvement” on the three cars under the microscope, however none of these brands have been named and shamed.

In the emergency lane keeping (ELK) steering response test, the positive reference car had a 2.02-degree angle on the wheel at a velocity of 1.26 degrees per second.

In comparison, one bad offender had a 13.57-degree angle at a velocity of 70.7deg/sec, while another had an 11.03-degree angle at an 89.21deg/sec velocity.

A road edge detection test also showed the positive reference car making a calm and gradual return to the centre of the lane whereas the worst offender responded early and severely.

ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg said detailed results of the project would be shared with car-makers and used to “inform refinements” to ANCAP’s upcoming 2026-2028 test protocols.

“Good system design and properly tuned systems are critical to consumer acceptance, and the aspects we’ve examined with this research are those that manufacturers should already be factoring into their systems,” she said.

“The pilot group of vehicle models we’ve assessed has been assembled from direct consumer feedback, where a specific list of models were identified as offering a fairly rudimentary response.

“Unfortunately, the behaviour of these vehicles is having consumers question the benefits of these systems, and in some cases, turn them off.

“What we don’t want to see is these systems being badged as ‘annoying’ and switched off.

“What we want to demonstrate are the differences in vehicle behaviour, and by sharing these results, encourage manufacturers to improve their systems.”

Ms Hoorweg went on to praise Mitsubishi for its recent announcement of an updated driver monitoring system for its new-generation Triton ute, which had drawn heavy criticism from consumers and media.

More models will be tested in the pilot program over the coming months, with full results to be released once the project comes to an end.

Notable examples of vehicles launched with poorly calibrated lane support systems include the GWM Tank 300 and Chery Omoda 5 – both of which carry five-star ANCAP ratings.

Electronic lane keeping systems became mandatory for all new cars introduced in Australia from March 1, 2024, with existing models already on sale in new-car showrooms having until March 1, 2026, to fit the technology.

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