The Holden Trax, Peugeot 208 and Citroen DS5 have scored the maximum five-star rating in the latest round of crash tests from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), while the MG 6 received only four.
The five-star safety ratings apply to all variants of the Trax and DS5, while ANCAP says the 208‘s rating applies specifically to the five-door, four-cylinder hatch variants.
The four-star rating handed down to the MG 6 (pictured below) is the equal-highest rating for a Chinese-built vehicle under ANCAP’s criteria.
The MG, which has been on sale since April and comes standard with dual front, side and curtain airbags and electronic stability control, received a total score of 27.73 out of a possible 37.
ANCAP rated the mid-sized sedan’s protection in its frontal offset test as marginal, however, with the driver’s airbag failing to prevent the head from making contact with the rim of the steering wheel.
ANCAP chairman Lauchlan McIntosh said the number of available cars with five-star ratings was increasing almost daily.
“[This is] a trend ANCAP obviously wants to see continue to ensure we can save as many lives and injuries as possible on our roads,” McIntosh said.
“Consumers now expect new cars to have a five-star ANCAP safety rating, so the four-star rating for the MG6 may be a deal breaker for some when it comes to making their purchasing decision.”
Though ANCAP’s current testing regime includes five physical tests: frontal offset, side impact, pole, pedestrian and whiplash, from 2014 a sixth test will be introduced measuring roof strength in the event of a rollover crash.
The Holden Trax, which scored 35.18, launches locally today, while the Peugeot (34.03) and Citroen (35.66) have been in showrooms since September 2012.
