Germany falls behind China and Italy in latest ANCAP safety ratings: Five stars for GWM Ora, but just four for BMW's i4?

ANCAP has released its latest round of safety ratings for the Australian market, and there are some results that might be a surprise.

Arriving this month, China's GWM Ora electric hatch has scored a maximum five-star rating, alongside the Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV and Citroen C5 X crossover.

Both the Ora and Tonale scored highly across ANCAP's four core scoring areas, but the results were based on tests conducted by Euro NCAP and transferred across.

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ANCAP's CEO, Carla Hoorweg, said the GWM Ora becomes “the only battery-electric powered car in the small-car segment to hold a five star ANCAP safety rating against the 2020 - 2022 test criteria.” For reference, the competing Nissan Leaf also holds a maximum five-star ANCAP rating, but to an earlier 2018 standard.

Meanwhile, the Citroen C5 X has bucked the trend by scoring a maximum five-star rating in Australia, while only maintaining a four-star rating in Europe.

ANCAP says this is because the C5 X scores an upgraded auto emergency braking (AEB) system for the Australian market, which it calls a 'fusion' AEB system consisting of both a camera and a radar, which resulted in an improvement to the car-to-car auto braking performance compared to the camera-only system which is fitted to European-delivered cars.

For comparison, the C5 X has a 66 per cent 'Safety Assist' score in Europe, while the Australian version has this pillar upgraded to 84 per cent.

Unfortunately for Peugeot, while its new 308 hatch also scores the same upgraded AEB suite as the C5 X and a correspondingly higher score in Australia, it fell short on the adult occupant protection pillar, meaning it only qualifies for a four-star ANCAP safety rating.

Controversially, the BMW i4 maintains the four-star rating it received in its Euro NCAP test. The i4 scored highly in every category aside from Safety Assist (64 percent), where it was marked down for middling performance of its lane-keep and AEB systems.

Unfortunately for Peugeot, while its new 308 hatch also scores the same upgraded AEB suite as the C5 X and a correspondingly higher score in Australia, it fell short on the adult occupant protection pillar.

ANCAP says it was advised by BMW that the Australian-delivered i4 scores AEB and lane support systems which are of a higher standard than their European equivalents, but ANCAP says because BMW did not put a vehicle forward for additional testing, it would maintain its four-star rating.

The days of nearly blanket five-star ratings seem to be behind ANCAP, as it increasingly makes its test criteria more difficult. Starting in 2023, ANCAP will up its criteria again to introduce new tests for submergence - that is the ability to escape the car while it is sinking in a body of water, systems to prevent children from being locked in the car, and increased requirements for rear auto braking and motorcycle detection under its vulnerable road user category.

When it comes to physical requirements, ANCAP says it will also update its testing criteria for head-on collisions.