Safety upgrades have prompted Toyota and Mitsubishi to submit their vehicles for a new round of crash testing under more stringent criteria – resetting the six-year expiry dates on the ANCAP scores in the process.
The Toyota HiAce van and Mitsubishi Outlander family SUV have been awarded fresh five-star safety ratings from ANCAP following significant upgrades to how well they protect occupants in a crash, or prevent one entirely.
Both vehicles were tested under the latest and most stringent 2025 ANCAP test criteria, which are more stringent than those in place when the HiAce and Outlander were last tested in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
The safety upgrade resets the six-year expiry on the vehicles' ANCAP scores, which were due to expire after December 31, 2025 for the Toyota, and December 31, 2028 for the Mitsubishi.
Manufacturers will now be able to market five-star scores until December 31, 2031 – buying them more time to introduce a new-generation model before the rating runs out.
The six-year expiry dates were introduced to prevent older models continuing to market similarly old safety ratings alongside newer scores derived from much more stringent criteria, potentially causing confusion.
"ANCAP’s test and scoring protocols are intentionally updated every few years to recognise the safety advancements manufacturers are bringing to market, and to encourage ongoing improvement," ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg said in a media statement.
"Think of smartphones or computers. With each new version, consumers expect better performance and added features.
"Vehicles are no different – safety should continually evolve, and these reassessments demonstrate manufacturers’ commitment to ongoing safety improvements."
How safe is the Toyota HiAce?
Upgrades to the HiAce for 2025 include the addition of a front-centre airbag to prevent head clashes in severe side-impact collisions, as well as two new side airbags to the five-seat crew van.
The former is key for earning top marks in ANCAP's far-side impact tests, which assess how far the driver moves into the passenger's space in a side-impact crash, as well as how the front occupants' heads interact in a collision.
It is a test that did not exist when the HiAce was first assessed by ANCAP in 2019.
Still, the updated van received a one-point deduction in the occupant-to-occupant category of the test due to "non-symmetrical performance" around its airbag.
Changes to the HiAce's advanced safety systems include the addition of lane-keep assist and an emergency driver support system, via the introduction of electric power steering.
It also gains a more advanced autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system capable of detecting motorcyclists – not just cars, pedestrians, and cyclists – as well as intervening in "junction, crossing, and head-on scenarios."
Also added is an updated speed sign recognition system, a door exit warning, and adaptive cruise control.
It came away with a score of 80 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection – the minimum standard needed for a five-star overall score, and well down on the 94 per cent it earned in 2019 testing, under the criteria in place at the time.
If the van earned 79 per cent in this category, it would have been limited to a four-star overall rating, which would have ruled it out for many fleets that require five-star scores under occupational health and safety rules.
The HiAce was also awarded 86 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 87 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection, and 81 per cent for Safety Assist technology in its re-test – compared to 88 per cent, 84 per cent, and 77 per cent respectively in 2019 testing.
The new rating applies to all van (two-seat) and crew van (five-seat) variants built from June 2025, with the HiAce Commuter bus and Minibus models unrated.
How safe is the Mitsubishi Outlander?
The fresh safety rating for the Mitsubishi Outlander applies to facelifted versions, with production dates starting April 2025 for petrol models, and July 2025 for plug-in hybrids.
Upgrades include "improvements to restraints, centre airbag effectiveness, and whiplash performance," according to ANCAP, plus a new direct driver monitoring camera that watches the human's eyes for inattention or drowsiness.
It also gains an upgraded autonomous emergency braking system capable of motorcycle detection and "turning ... scenarios", and an updated lane-keep assist system.
The Outlander's upgrades are not as significant as those made to the HiAce van, as the safety-rating criteria in place when it was first evaluated in 2022 are much closer in stringency to those in force today.
The changes returned category scores in 2025 testing of 85 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 84 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 79 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection, and 70 per cent for Safety Assist tech – the latter the minimum standard needed for five stars overall.
In comparison, the 2022 ANCAP test saw the earlier model awarded 83 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 92 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 81 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection, and 83 per cent for Safety Assist.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
