The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) is the independent vehicle safety authority for Australia and New Zealand. ANCAP crash-tests new vehicles and assigns safety ratings from 0 to 5 stars based on:
- Adult occupant protection (frontal/side/oblique crash + chest/leg injury)
- Child occupant protection (rear-seat passenger safety)
- Vulnerable road user protection (pedestrian + cyclist impact)
- Safety assist technologies (AEB, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring)
For Australian buyers, the ANCAP rating is the single most useful indicator of how safe a specific make/model/year is. The rating reflects the safety standards in force at the time of testing — a 2015 5-star car is genuinely less safe than a 2024 5-star car because the criteria have tightened substantially.
How long is an ANCAP rating valid?
Ratings expire roughly 6 years after issue. After expiry, the rating is shown as "Date stamped" and may be re-tested under the current criteria. A rating issued in 2017 may now be obsolete; a fresh test under 2024 criteria might reduce the score.
ANCAP ratings and used-car shopping
The Aussie Car Check Comprehensive report ($29.99) includes the ANCAP rating for the make/model you're checking, sourced from the official ANCAP database. We display:
- Star rating (0-5)
- Year of test
- Adult occupant + child occupant + safety assist sub-scores
- Whether the rating is current or expired
A 4-star pre-2017 rating is generally less protective than a 4-star post-2020 rating because the test criteria have tightened. This is why we always show the test year alongside the star count.