Safest new cars of 2022 revealed
Independent auto safety body announces its best crash test results of the yearANCAP has recapped its top-performing vehicles of 2022, revealing which new models performed the best across its four main categories of automotive safety testing.
The 2022 Tesla Model Y electric SUV took top honours this year with an overall weighted score of 92.6 per cent and unsurprisingly also notched up the highest adult occupant protection (97%) and safety assist (98%) scores.
A few percentage points behind overall was the new Lexus NX compact luxury SUV with an overall weighted score of 89.2 per cent, closely followed by the just-tested 2022 LDV MIFA people-mover, which earned itself an 87.4 per cent weighted score.
The new Ford Ranger, Ford Everest, Nissan QASHQAI and Nissan Pathfinder all tied for the child protection lead with scores of 93 per cent.
Another relative newcomer, the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross, was the leader in terms of vulnerable road user protection, with a category score of 87 per cent.
Recapping the wider of the 2020-2022 protocols, 61 of the 69 vehicles tested were awarded a maximum five-star safety rating, with 31 of those featuring what ANCAP calls an alternative-powered drivetrain. Two of the top three performers overall were battery-electric.
ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg said this reflected “the desire and commitment of vehicle manufacturers to offer the safest vehicles they can into the Australian and New Zealand markets, and the continued appetite of consumers and fleet buyers who expect the highest level of safety”.
“We know the continued injection of the safest vehicles onto our roads has tangible road safety and economic benefits, and this strong performance of models rated over the past three years will see even an even greater number of lives saved and serious injuries avoided,” she said.
Next year will herald the introduction of ANCAP’s most stringent testing criteria to date, including vehicle submergence testing, sophisticated vulnerable road user impact testing and a closer look into the effectiveness of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems.
Related: Five-star safety for Tesla Model Y, Genesis GV60 and Kia Niro
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Related: ANCAP: Nissan Pathfinder gets five stars for safety
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