ANCAP slams Kia Carnival for crash safety

Kia said it expected a low score for the new Carnival people-mover because it lack seatbelt reminders for some seats, but in fact it didn't make the grade in the crash test.

The latest version of Australia's favourite people-mover, the Kia Carnival, has been slammed by safety experts in the latest round of crash tests.

The new generation Kia Carnival has received just four stars out of five for crash safety at a time when most new cars earn top marks.

The 2015 Kia Carnival scored just 10.48 out of 16 in the critical offset frontal crash test

The new model that went on sale last month priced from $39,490 was criticised by the independent safety authority ANCAP because there was "deformation" of the footwell area, "pedal movement was excessive" and "dash components were a potential source of knee injury for the driver".

Despite being an all-new model, the 2015 Kia Carnival scored just 10.48 out of 16 in the critical offset frontal crash test (where the vehicle strikes a barrier at 64km/h); not much higher than the previous generation Kia Carnival released in 2006 which scored 9.81 out of 16.

Vehicles must earn a minimum of 12.5 out of 16

Several rival people movers score more than 13 out of 16, some more than 14 out of 16.

Under ANCAP guidelines, vehicles must earn a minimum of 12.5 out of 16 in this part of the test to be eligible for further tests which might elevate it to a five-star safety rating.

A statement issued by Kia in February indicated the sole reason the Carnival would not earn a five-star rating was the lack of seatbelt reminders for the back seats.

The statement said in part: "Due to the absence of second row seatbelt reminders, a feature which became an ANCAP critical feature on January 1 (2015), the new Carnival will initially be eligible for a maximum 4-star ANCAP rating."

The earlier Kia statement also claimed: "The new Carnival features a stronger structure than the outgoing model, with improved crash safety performance".

We abide by the umpire's decision

Kia says it plans to add seatbelt reminders in the second row (they are not an ANCAP requirement for third-row seats, even though it is a family car) in the coming months, but this change is unlikely to bump up the Carnival to a five-star rating according to ANCAP criteria.

Kia Australia's chief operating officer Damien Meredith told News Corp Australia: "We abide by the umpire's decision and we're talking with our colleagues at Kia head office to make the necessary changes to bring this car up to a five-star rating."

NRMA safety expert Jack Haley said it was disappointing that a vehicle synonymous with affordable family transport had "fallen behind the field".

"The Carnival's latest competitors have all achieved a five-star rating," said Mr Haley. "Five stars might be the maximum score but it's our minimum expectation."

The Kia Carnival has been Australia's biggest selling people mover for 10 of the past 11 years.

It overtook the Toyota Tarago in 2004 and was Australia'a top selling people-mover until 2014, when it was outsold by the Honda Odyssey by a narrow margin.

The new Kia Carnival was expected to reclaim its title as Australia's top-selling family van this year, but industry pundits believe the safety setback may blunt its sales.