Range Rover Velar scores five-star ANCAP rating

The Range Rover Velar is officially five-star safe, according to the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). And the news has been announced within a month of the luxurious new SUV going on sale.

Broken down, the five-star rating is based on a 93 per cent result for adult occupant protection, 85 per cent for child safety and 74 per cent for pedestrian safety.

"The Velar arrives in our market with strong all-round safety performance resulting in a five-star ANCAP safety rating" says ANCAP CEO, James Goodwin.

ANCAP's testing protocol now excludes any vehicle tested from achieving a five-star rating if it isn't fitted with active safety equipment designed to prevent a collision – what ANCAP refers to as 'safety assist technology', prompting Goodwin to praise the Velar accordingly for the competence of its Autonomous Emergency Braking.

"Autonomous emergency braking is provided as a standard feature on the Velar and it operates effectively at high and low-speeds, and can detect and react to pedestrians."

In addition, Goodwin observed that the Velar attained a high standard of crash safety protection for occupants: “Maximum points were scored for adult occupants in these two lateral crash tests, and child occupant protection – which looks at the protection offered for a 6 year old and 10 year old child – was also good.”

The Velar wasn't perfect however, with ANCAP noting that protection was 'marginal' for the chest of an adult seated in the rear.

Matthew Wiesner, Managing Director for Jaguar Land Rover Australia, welcomed the result.

"The light, stiff and exceptionally strong aluminium intensive body provides the foundation for a five-star ANCAP score," Wiesner was quoted saying in a press release.

"Allied to pioneering suspension technology and a comprehensive range of driver assistance systems, the new Range Rover Velar is not just one of the most beautiful SUVs in the world – it's also one of the safest."