ANCAP: Toyota HiAce and Mitsubishi Outlander retain five-star safety
Safety upgrades see commercial van and family SUV continue with five-star safety, following re-testing by ANCAPThe News
ANCAP has awarded the Mitsubishi Outlander and Toyota HiAce a maximum five-star safety rating, following a host of safety upgrades and re-testing of the popular SUV and van range.
The Key Details
- Safety upgrades see Mitsubishi Outlander and Toyota HiAce retain top safety scores
- ANCAP re-tests van and SUV against latest criteria
- New scores now valid until December 31, 2031
The Finer Details
The Toyota HiAce and Mitsubishi Outlander – originally crash-tested by ANCAP in 2019 and 2022, respectively – have been submitted for re-testing, following safety enhancements to both the van and SUV.
Both achieved five-star ratings when they were originally crash tested and those results have now been renewed, following re-testing against the safety authority’s current and most stringent criteria.
In the HiAce, ANCAP attributes the five-star safety to the addition of a front centre airbag, emergency lane keeping, intelligent adaptive cruise control, advanced speed sign recognition, and a “significantly upgraded” autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, that can now intervene in junction, crossing, and head-on scenarios.
ANCAP says the HiAce can also now respond to motorcyclists, as well as cars, pedestrians and cyclists, improving its vulnerable road user protection.
The latest five-star rating applies to all van and crew van built from June 2025, while the HiAce Commuter and Minibus are unrated.
As for the Mitsubishi Outlander, petrol variants from April 2025 and PHEV variants built from July 2025 gain improved restraints, centre airbag effectiveness and whiplash performance, according to ANCAP, along with a direct driver monitoring system, improved lane support, and “expanded AEB capability”, including turning and motorcycle detection.
Even with the safety upgrades, ANCAP’s stricter requirements saw both models perform worse in some categories, including the Outlander’s child occupant protection score, which dropped from 92 per cent (in 2022) to 84 per cent (2025).
In the case of the HiAce, it fell to 80 per cent (2025) in the adult occupant protection portion of testing, from 94 per cent in 2019.
The Road Ahead
You can view the safety reports for each car at ANCAP’s website.
The updated scores mean the Mitsubishi Outlander and Toyota HiAce are covered by a maximum five-star rating, which will expire in December 2031.
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