ANCAP has published a batch of five-star results, with the Audi A5, Polestar 3, and Volkswagen Tiguan and Multivan – however not all vehicles were tested to the same criteria.
Local crash test authority, ANCAP, has released crash test results for four new models – all with five-star results.
While the A5, Polestar 3, and Tiguan were tested under the current 2023-2025 test procedures, the Multivan’s result is based on older 2020-2022 procedures, reflecting its European and New Zealand launch timing, and not its local on-sale date.
As a result, the scoring for the Multivan’s pedestrian protection would render it a four-star car if assessed to ANCAP’s current criteria.
The new Audi A5 serves as a single-model replacement for the previous A4 and A5 model lines, and is available as a five-door liftback or a traditional station wagon.
In testing, the A5 was given an 87 per cent assessment score for both adult occupant and child occupant protection.
Vulnerable road user protection (pedestrians and cyclists)was given a 78 per cent score, and safety assist systems scored 79 per cent.
Despite the high scores, frontal offset crash testing revealed a ‘marginal’ protection rating against the driver’s chest. Chest protection in the oblique pole test was also given a marginal rating, with occupant protection elsewhere listed as ‘adequate’ or ‘good’.
The Polestar 3 received a 90 per cent adult occupant protection score and 94 per cent for child occupant protection.
Vulnerable road user protection and safety assist systems were both given a 79 per cent rating.
Across all zones, adult protection was rated either good or adequate against ANCAP’s criteria.
The Polestar 3 also comes with a driver monitoring system that detects distraction and fatigue, issuing an alert initially and intervening if the driver remains unresponsive. The Audi A5 and Volkswagen Tiguan, meanwhile, can only issue a fatigue alert with no intervention.
The new-generation Volkswagen Tiguan was given an 83 per cent rating for adult occupant protection and 88 per cent for child occupant protection.
Both vulnerable road user protection and safety assist systems were given an 84 per cent score.
In physical crash testing, the Tiguan received a ‘poor’ rating for the driver's pelvis area in the full-width frontal crash test and a marginal rating for the chest and whiplash protection of the rear passenger.
Adequate or good ratings were issued elsewhere.
The Volkswagen Multivan was given a 90 per cent rating for adult occupant protection and 88 per cent for child occupant protection.
Occupant protection ratings are listed as adequate or good in most areas, with a marginal rating issued for ‘prevention of excursion’, the movement an occupant experiences towards the other side of he vehicle in the vehicle-to-pole side impact test.
Safety assist systems were given a 79 per cent score, but vulnerable road user protection was given a 69 per cent rating.
Under ANCAP’s previous test procedures, this score counts towards a five-star result. Under 2023-2025 conditions, a minimum of 70 per cent must be achieved to be five-star compliant; the older test procedure requires only a 60 per cent rating or above.
Other changes see newer vehicles tested for the inclusion of child presence detection, direct driver monitoring, plus changes to autonomous emergency braking tests for pedestrians and cyclists, car-to-car and car-to-motorcycle collisions, and new pedestrian leg impact testing – none of which are included in the Multivan’s test regime.
The changes to the test format make comparison of results between different test eras difficult – an area ANCAP has tried to address by introducing expiration dates for ratings.
ANCAP’s release celebrating the latest round of five-star results includes only a single line of text pointing to the difference in test dates, and does not address the difference in testing or potential implications for scoring differences.
Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.
