Best Small SUV 2022: Safety

Safety is an important consideration for car buyers and, more than ever, vehicle manufacturers are pushing the safety barrow themselves.

Not only have new cars become much safer should a collision ever occur, they also have smart safety features to help you avoid a crash ever taking place.

Each of the 15 models on test for carsales’ Best Small SUV 2022 have a more crashworthy body structure than their predecessors, but also far better active safety too.

All of our small SUV contenders are fitted with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), forward collision warning (FCW), anti-lock braking systems (ABS), electronic stability control (ESC), brake assist, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors as standard.

That’s a good start, since almost all of these safety systems are now effectively mandatory for achieving a current five-star ANCAP safety rating.

But there are quite a few – sometimes stark – differences in this group, starting with crash safety scores.

While ANCAP safety ratings should make for a good comparison between models, the scoring system has become more complex than simply comparing how many stars a vehicle has out of a maximum of five.

Over the years, ANCAP has made its requirements to achieve five stars more stringent, notably in 2017 and then again in 2020.

A couple of these small SUVs were tested before the stricter 2017 requirements came into force, while only one – the Toyota Yaris Cross – has been through the tougher new protocols introduced in 2020, passing with flying colours.

Others rely on the crash test results of a similar model, while one vehicle has no rating at all yet.

For those that do have an ANCAP rating, the Hyundai Venue (tested in 2019) and MG ZST (tested in 2017) are the lowest performers at four stars each.

All the rest are five-star rated, with the earliest rating (and therefore less stringent) awarded to the Mitsubishi ASX in 2014.

Then there’s the Mazda CX-3 that was tested in 2015, while the Hyundai Kona, Kia Stonic, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, Subaru XV, Toyota C-HR and Volkswagen T-Roc all received five stars based on 2017 testing.

The Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-30 and Volkswagen T-Cross reached their five-star rating in 2019, while the Toyota Yaris Cross was awarded its five stars in 2021.

The Kia Stonic has not been crash-tested per se. Instead, its rating is based on the 2017 ANCAP result achieved by the Kia Rio, which sits on the same platform.

Despite its extensive active safety list, the Haval Jolion has not been tested by ANCAP as yet, and this unfortunately has affected its safety score in this group.

Even though the Jolion has enough safety credentials to suggest it may well be a five-star car when it is crash-tested by ANCAP, we can’t give it points for something it might, or might not, have.

There are plenty of other differences in this group when it comes to safety.

All have at least six airbags – front, side and side curtain, augmented by a driver’s knee airbag in the Mazda CX-30, Mitsubishi ASX, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, Subaru XV, Toyota C-HR and Toyota Yaris Cross.

The Haval Jolion and Toyota Yaris Cross are also unique in this cohort for offering a front centre airbag, which helps avoid a head-clash between the driver and front passenger in the event of a crash.

While all the SUVs here have the safety net of AEB, nine of them work at urban speeds only (10-50km/h). Those that include the added safety of inter-urban AEB – that is automatic braking at up to 80km/h – are the Hyundai Kona and Venue, Mazda CX-30, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, Subaru XV and Toyota C-HR.

Rear cross traffic alert is standard equipment on all except the Kia Stonic, while the extra safety of rear cross traffic auto braking is included with just the Subaru XV, Toyota C-HR and Yaris Cross.

All except the Stonic, ASX, Eclipse Cross, C-HR and Yaris Cross feature tyre pressure monitoring.

While all have a reversing camera and rear audible parking sensors, almost half of them – Kona, Venue, Seltos, Stonic, ASX, T-Cross and T-Roc – lack a 360-degree camera that’s standard on the others. The Subaru XV goes halfway with a side view monitor.

Front parking sensors are only standard on the Kona, Seltos, CX-3, CX-30, Eclipse Cross, C-HR, Yaris Cross, T-Cross and T-Roc.

Haval Jolion Ultra
ANCAP safety rating (year): Untested
AEB: Yes (urban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 7/No/Yes
Blind spot monitoring: Yes
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/Yes
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: Yes
Rear cross traffic alert: Yes
Parking sensors front/rear: No/Yes

Hyundai Kona Highlander
ANCAP safety rating (year): Five-star (2017)
AEB: Yes (interurban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 6/No/No
Blind spot monitoring: Yes
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/No
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: Yes
Rear cross traffic alert: Yes
Parking sensors front/rear: Yes/Yes

Hyundai Venue Elite
ANCAP safety rating (year): Four-star (2019)
AEB: Yes (interurban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 6/No/No
Blind spot monitoring: Yes
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/No
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: Yes
Rear cross traffic alert: Yes
Parking sensors front/rear: No/Yes

Kia Seltos Sport+
ANCAP safety rating (year): Five-star (2019)
AEB: Yes (urban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 6/No/No
Blind spot monitoring: Yes
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/No
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: Yes
Rear cross traffic alert: Yes
Parking sensors front/rear: Yes/Yes

Kia Stonic GT-Line
ANCAP safety rating (year): Five-star (2017)
AEB: Yes (urban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 6/No/No
Blind spot monitoring: No
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/No
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: Yes
Rear cross traffic alert: No
Parking sensors front/rear: No/Yes

Mazda CX-3 Akari LE
ANCAP safety rating (year): Five-star (2015)
AEB: Yes (urban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 6/No/No
Blind spot monitoring: Yes
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/Yes
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: Yes
Rear cross traffic alert: Yes
Parking sensors front/rear: Yes/Yes

Mazda CX-30 G25 Touring SP
ANCAP safety rating (year): Five-star (2019)
AEB: Yes (interurban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 7/Yes/No
Blind spot monitoring: Yes
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/Yes
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: Yes
Rear cross traffic alert: Yes
Parking sensors front/rear: Yes/Yes

MG ZST Essence
ANCAP safety rating (year): Four-star (2017)
AEB: Yes (urban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 6/No/No
Blind spot monitoring: Yes
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/Yes
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: Yes
Rear cross traffic alert: Yes
Parking sensors front/rear: No/Yes

Mitsubishi ASX Exceed
ANCAP safety rating (year): Five-star (2014)
AEB: Yes (urban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 7/Yes/No
Blind spot monitoring: Yes
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/No
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: No
Rear cross traffic alert: Yes
Parking sensors front/rear: No/Yes

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Exceed
ANCAP safety rating (year): Five-star (2017)
AEB: Yes (interurban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 7/Yes/No
Blind spot monitoring: Yes
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/Yes
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: No
Rear cross traffic alert: Yes
Parking sensors front/rear: Yes/Yes

Subaru XV 2.0i-S
ANCAP safety rating (year): Five-star (2017)
AEB: Yes (interurban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 7/Yes/No
Blind spot monitoring: Yes
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/No
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: Yes
Rear cross traffic alert: Yes
Parking sensors front/rear: No/No

Toyota C-HR Koba
ANCAP safety rating (year): Five-star (2017)
AEB: Yes (interurban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 7/Yes/No
Blind spot monitoring: Yes
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/Yes
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: Yes
Rear cross traffic alert: Yes
Parking sensors front/rear: Yes/Yes

Toyota Yaris Cross Urban
ANCAP safety rating (year): Five-star (2021)
AEB: Yes (urban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 8/Yes/Yes
Blind spot monitoring: Yes
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/Yes
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: Yes
Rear cross traffic alert: Yes
Parking sensors front/rear: Yes/Yes

Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Style
ANCAP safety rating (year): Five-star (2019)
AEB: Yes (urban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 6/No/No
Blind spot monitoring: Yes
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/No
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: Yes
Rear cross traffic alert: Yes
Parking sensors front/rear: Yes/Yes

Volkswagen T-Roc 110TSI Style
ANCAP safety rating (year): Five-star (2017)
AEB: Yes (urban)
Airbags/driver’s knee/centre front: 6/No/No
Blind spot monitoring: Yes
Forward collision warning: Yes
Rear/360-degree camera: Yes/No
Lane departure warning: Yes
Lane keep assist: Yes
Rear cross traffic alert: Yes
Parking sensors front/rear: Yes/Yes