Big hit for another new Hyundai: 2026 Hyundai Inster electric hatchback misses out on a full five-star ANCAP safety rating like the Kona, i30 Sedan and Venue, while the Polestar 4 and Subaru Forester family SUVs get full five-star ratings

Australia’s independent crash testing authority, ANCAP, has just detailed its latest dump of safety ratings.

The recently introduced Hyundai Inster electric vehicle (EV) is the company’s latest vehicle to not achieve a full five-star ANCAP safety rating.

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It achieved 70 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 83 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 70 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection and 69 per cent for Safety Assist.

One of the key reasons the Inster didn’t get a five-star rating is because it fell short of the Adult Occupant Protection score threshold. Cars need to achieve a minimum of 80 per cent in this category to get five stars.

ANCAP noted there was Marginal chest protection across the frontal offset, full-width frontal and oblique pole tests.

In the frontal offset crash test, the driver’s airbag didn’t “fully prevent head contact” with the steering wheel and a penalty was applied.

In the side impact test, there was Adequate pelvis protection for the driver and Poor chest protection for the 10-year old child dummy.

A further penalty was applied after ANCAP noted the driver’s door was unlatched after the test. This presented the potential for the door to open and compromise the safety of those in the cabin.

Although ANCAP claims the Inster offers a “reasonable level of performance” with the Safety Assist category, it misses out the 70 per cent threshold to get five stars by one per cent.

“The Hyundai Inster enters a highly-competitive segment, and while some may suggest safety isn’t important for the smaller end of the market, in fact the opposite is true,” said ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg.

“Smaller vehicles, by physical size, are at a disadvantage out on the road, so having a well-rounded level of structural safety as well as the ability to avoid a crash is critical for those looking to purchase a smaller vehicle.”

In addition to the Hyundai Inster getting a four-star ANCAP rating, the safety authority gave the Polestar 4 and new-generation Subaru Forester both five-star ratings.

The former was tested by Euro NCAP in 2025 and the latter was tested by Euro NCAP in 2024.