ANCAP WRAP: Toyota HiLux EV secures five-star safety rating

Toyota’s first electric HiLux has been awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating, but BMW has fallen short with only four stars issued to its latest 1 and 2 Series (Gran Coupe) passenger cars.

The HiLux BEV’s score means the entire workhorse range is now covered by a five-star rating.

It’s a critical result because the HiLux BEV is primarily aimed at fleets, which often insist on a five-star rating.

While diesel-powered HiLux variants received a five-star rating in December 2025, the arrival of battery-electric versions required ANCAP to undertake additional frontal offset and oblique pole crash testing to assess battery integrity and the safety of the high-voltage electrical systems.

The testing confirmed the electric HiLux offers comparable crash protection to the diesel range and means only the Rugged X remains unrated – because it has an off-road bull bar and requires separate testing.

The HiLux range scored 84 per cent for adult occupant protection, 89 per cent for child occupant protection, 82 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 82 per cent for its safety assists.

ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg said the result was significant as more alternative-powered utes enter the Australian market.

“In an increasing market of alternative-powered utes, business and private buyers now have another option that balances their safety needs with their powertrain considerations,” she said.

The four-star results for the two compact BMWs don’t come as too much of a shock as they are based on Euro NCAP testing results announced in September and November 2025.

ANCAP said the new 1 Series hatchback and 2 Series Gran Coupe performed strongly in crash avoidance testing but were held back by mixed results in frontal crash assessments.

Elevated risks of chest injury were identified in both the frontal offset and full-width frontal tests, while dashboard structures also posed potential upper-leg injury risks.

The 1 Series recorded scores of 78 per cent for adult occupant protection, 86 per cent for child occupant protection, 85 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 81 per cent for safety assist.

The related 2 Series Gran Coupe meanwhile scored 78 per cent, 85 per cent, 85 per cent and 81 per cent respectively – the five-star benchmark for adult occupant protection is 80 per cent.

Subaru emerged from the latest ratings round with a pair of five-star results for its new Trailseeker and Uncharted electric SUVs.

ANCAP said the ratings were based on testing and technical assessments of related Toyota EVs, with additional crash tests and engineering analysis undertaken to confirm comparable safety performance.

The Trailseeker achieved scores of 89 per cent for adult occupant protection, 86 per cent for child occupant protection, 80 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 82 per cent for safety assist.

The smaller Uncharted was close behind, scoring 88 per cent, 86 per cent, 80 per cent and 82 per cent respectively across the same categories.

These ANCAP results are based on 2023-2025 protocols. Results based on the newer ANCAP 2026 protocols are unlikely to start publication until the third quarter of the year.

The variety of ways ANCAP arrived at these published results emphasises how close its relationship is with NCAP now, and how data sharing is replacing physical testing.

Only the HiLux BEV was tested in Australia – the BMWs and the Trailseeker (or eOutback as it is known in Europe) were subject to some form of NCAP physical testing.

The Uncharted result meantime was based on NCAP testing of the Toyota C-HR+ and bZ4X. It was not physically crash-tested.

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