21 December 2010
Many of the car reviews published on the MyCarBudget website carry references to an ANCAP star rating. For most people who don't live and breath cars and car ratings every day of their working lives, the ANCAP rating may not mean much to them.
So to help you get more out of this rating, I thought we could give you a brief overview of what ANCAP does and what their ratings mean.
The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) provides independent and transparent advice and information on the level of occupant protection provided by vehicles in serious front and side crashes.
Since 1993, ANCAP has published crash test results for over 300 vehicles. These vehicles are awarded star ratings indicating the level of safety they provide in the event of an accident. The higher the ANCAP star rating the better the vehicle performed in the tests. ANCAP recommends that consumers only buy ANCAP 5 star rated vehicles.
ANCAP is committed to...
- crash testing new motor vehicles and publishing the results;
- contributing to the systems approach to improving road safety: safer drivers in safer cars on safer roads;
- educating and influencing decision makers to effectively legislate and advocate for improved car safety;
- working with manufacturers and importers to raise the bar on safety improvements and its importance to the consumer; and
- cooperating with international advocates to lift and align safety standards around the world.
So what do the ratings actually mean?
ANCAP awards a star rating from 1 to 5 for each vehicle following independent crash tests by independent specialist laboratories.
New vehicles are awarded or deducted points based on a combination of test categories and scientific criteria. All vehicles are assessed under identical testings standards and conditions.
In all tests, dummies are used to measure the various forces on the occupants in a crash. The data gathered is then assessed, using internationally recognised protocols and star-ratings are determined for each crash test.
Observations are also made on the displacement of dummies during the crash, as well as the structural impact on the vehicle's occupant compartment.
Points are also awarded if the vehicle is fitted with safety features such as Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and seat belt reminders.
To achieve an ANCAP 5 Star rating, a vehicle must achieve the highest international recognised standards in all test categories.
The more stars, the better.
Occupants have twice the chance of being killed or seriously injured in an ANCAP 1 Star rated vehicle compared to an ANCAP 5 Star rated vehicle.
The diagrams below show typical injuries to the drive and passenger for each ANCAP Star rating in Frontal Offset Testing, conducted at 64 km/h.
In interpreting the colour results on the dummy diagrams for each star rating, it is important to note that a red and brown result (Poor & Weak respectively) on any limb or part of the body indicates that there is a high risk of serious injury or death resulting from that injury alone. Consumers should therefore not assume that an injury to the foot area - shown as red in both ANCAP 1 and 2 star rated vehicles - is necessarily less serious, or less life threatening, than the same crash result in other parts of the body.