Geely, Kia, Leapmotor and Zeekr among brands to score five-star safety ratings

Independent auto safety authority ANCAP has released its latest batch of scores, with eight new models receiving maximum five-star ratings – including three from brands new to Australia.

Five-star ratings have been awarded to the Geely Starray, Kia EV4, Leapmotor B10, Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe, MG HS, Subaru Solterra, Toyota bZ4XandZeekr 7X.

They’re all based on ANCAP’s 2023-25 criteria, with no ratings announced yet for vehicles tested under stricter 2026 criteria. Crash-testing was performed by sister authority Euro NCAP.

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When combining category scores, the vehicle with the highest score was the Leapmotor B10.

The small electric SUV received an adult occupant protection rating of 93 per cent, a child occupant protection rating of 95 per cent, a vulnerable road user protection rating of 84 per cent, and a safety assist rating of 86 per cent.

ANCAP notes it received maximum points for driver protection in the side impact and oblique pole tests.

The plug-in hybrid Geely Starray mid-size SUV received a five-star rating with an adult occupant protection rating of 90 per cent, a child occupant protection rating of 87 per cent, a vulnerable road user protection rating of 86 per cent, and a safety assist rating of 82 per cent.

The Starray is the Geely brand’s second model to arrive in Australia following its 2025 launch, with the related EX5 electric SUV also receiving a five-star rating.

Another brand under the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group is Zeekr, and its 7X mid-size SUV received five stars with an adult occupant protection rating of 91 per cent, a child occupant protection rating of 87 per cent, a vulnerable road user protection rating of 78 per cent, and a safety assist rating of 78 per cent.

Not all of the vehicles tested were Chinese, with the Korean-made Kia EV4 receiving five stars with an adult occupant protection rating of 84 per cent, a child occupant protection rating of 86 per cent, a vulnerable road user protection rating of 77 per cent, and a safety assist rating of 81 per cent.

ANCAP noted the mid-size electric sedan received maximum points for adult occupant protection in the side impact and oblique pole tests.

Not every vehicle tested had a big battery underneath. ANCAP also assessed the Mercedes-Benz CLE sports car, giving it five stars – though this rating applies only to the coupe range, and not the convertible.

It received an adult occupant protection rating of 93 per cent, a child occupant protection rating of 86 per cent, a vulnerable road user protection rating of 87 per cent, and a safety assist rating of 84 per cent.

The Subaru Solterra and Toyota bZ4X twins also received five-star safety ratings, with identical scores of 88 per cent for adult occupant protection, 86 per cent for child occupant protection, 80 per cent for vulnerable road user protection, and 82 per cent for safety assist.

These mid-size electric SUVs have received new ratings following updates made to the duo in 2025.

Finally, hybrid and plug-in hybrid MG HS mid-size crossover SUVs have received a five-star rating with a 2024 datestamp.

ANCAP says additional testing confirmed the five-star rating of petrol variants could be carried over.

The HS range received an adult occupant protection rating of 90 per cent, a child occupant protection rating of 87 per cent, a vulnerable road user protection rating of 83 per cent, and a safety assist rating of 74 per cent.

In addition to publishing new safety testing results, ANCAP also recently confirmed a bevy of models – including popular vehicles like the Mazda 3 and CX-30, Mercedes-Benz GLA and GLE and Volkswagen T-Cross – no longer have valid safety ratings.

That’s because each of these vehicles had a safety rating that’s now six years old. They’re now officially classified as ‘unrated’ by the safety authority.