ANCAP AND THE AUSTRALIAN CAR industry are heading towards a showdown as the crash safety body prepares to remove five-star ratings from some of the most popular cars sold here.
Following criticism that some manufacturers were promoting five-star ratings awarded several years ago, for cars that would fall short of the top score if re-tested today, ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) introduced sunset clauses last year designed, according to ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg, to raise the bar for a five-star rating every three years and to encourage manufacturers to upgrade safety equipment over the life cycle of the car.
“Rating date stamps are a simple way for consumers to compare vehicles rated to similar test criteria,” she said. “Vehicle manufacturers are very much aware of the six-year rating validity period in place and we’re seeing proactive step being taken by them to enhance the safety specifications of their models.”
Affected vehicles include the Toyota Prado, Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara, Volkswagen Tiguan and Mazda CX-3, among others. These will no longer be promoted as five-star rated vehicles as of December 31, 2022. The manufacturers have declined to submit their vehicles for retesting and are unlikely to meet the current top rating criteria.
Losing the coveted five-star rating could have a serious impact on sales, since government fleets, rental and many companies in the business market mandate vehicles have a five-star ANCAP rating.
Manufacturers’ reluctance to retest vehicles is understandable since they are required to submit vehicles for testing at their own expense, and the process can cost anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million. They also argue that ANCAP is failing to take into account that some models slated to lose their five-star rating have undergone major technological upgrades.