Is your new car really safer: How would an old Toyota Corolla or Hyundai i30 cope in a crash with a newer model? The answer might surprise you

Are older cars less safe than new ones?

Okay, let’s rephrase that — what if the older car was once considered very safe and the new one didn’t score so well, which is safer then?

We asked the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) the curly question: would a cheap new car from 2024 with a five-star ANCAP rating be safer in an accident than a luxury car that's 10 years old with a five star rating?

"A five-star rating under current testing protocols indicates that the vehicle is equipped not only with strong crash protection but also with advanced features designed to prevent accidents altogether, such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane support systems (LSS)," a spokesperson from ANCAP said.

"In contrast, cars assessed in 2014 would have been tested under less rigorous criteria, and while it may have offered solid crash protection for its time, it is unlikely to include the same level of active safety features or design enhancements as a 2024 model."

ANCAP’s answer is pretty straightforward: five stars 10 years ago is not the same as five stars today. But what about a three-star car?

Two weeks ago, one of Hyundai’s most popular cars, the i30 sedan was given a score of three stars out a possible five by ANCAP. The comments from the body’s CEO Carla Hoorweg were stern “we had hoped Hyundai would have used this mid-cycle facelift opportunity to elevate the safety performance of the i30 Sedan.”

The reason for the low score is down to a few factors. First, despite launching in 2020 and being engineered to meet the relevant safety standards of the time, this updated version was tested under the stricter 2023-2025 criteria. Consequently, its relatively low level of standard advanced safety tech let the overall score down.

The i30 sedan didn’t perform superbly in crash tests where it scored 71 per cent for adult occupant protection, 81 per cent for child occupant protection and 62 per cent for vulnerable road user protection.

Still, compared to a 2015 i30 hatch which scored the maximum five ANCAP stars 10 years ago, this new i30 is supremely safer in every way, from the high-strength steel structure to the safety tech on board.

The 2015 i30 didn’t have Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) at all, the 2024 i30 has AEB which operates at speeds from 10-180km/h and can detect pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles and other cars. The system also works at intersections. Lane keeping assistance is also standard.

At the Sedan’s release Hyundai spruiked a “multiple laid path design”, a “strengthened member-connection structure through the application of double box construction”, the “adoption of a front chassis frame structure” and finally “a great number of hot-stamped components,” all to improve crash performance. 

This type of generation-upon-generation of safety improvements has always been the case in car manufacturing because, as much as we try not to think about it, driving a car or being a passenger in one is the most dangerous thing most people will do.

The new i30 Sedan, launched in August 2020 is a much safer car than the previous generation with better collision performance.

To viscerally demonstrate safety advances, ANCAP conducted a simulated head-on crash test of two Toyota Corollas in 2017. One Corolla was a 1998 model and the other was a 2015 model. 

The footage —which you can see on ANCAP’s YouTube channel — is confronting, with the older model Corolla so catastrophically damaged that ANCAP engineers declared the impact would have been fatal to occupants within the car. Those in the newer model Corolla would have only sustained minor injuries.

The peak safety body often faces criticism over its decisions and the i30 sedan’s three star score shocked many. Still, the organisation works to educate the public on safety and puts a strong emphasis on the importance of buying the newest car your budget will allow with the highest rating.    

“Newer five-star rated vehicles will offer much better levels of physical crash protection and will likely be fitted with active safety features to help avoid a crash happening, such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and/or lane support systems (LSS),” ANCAP’s CEO Carla Hoorweg told CarsGuide.

"At ANCAP, we always recommend choosing the safest car you can afford that fits your lifestyle, with the most recent date stamp. More often than not, this means opting for a newer vehicle, as they come equipped with the latest safety technologies and features.

"Our testing protocols evolve every three years to keep up with advancements in automotive safety. This ensures that newer cars are tested against stricter standards, offering improved protection. The 'TESTED' year on each ANCAP star rating helps consumers understand which safety protocols the vehicle was assessed against."

The role of ANCAP is to put pressure on carmakers and provide an evidence-based safety guide to new cars for consumers.

ANCAP's pressure does ensure that the safe cars aren’t overly expensive. In order for a model to get the five star rating, all grades and variants must meet the safety criteria and that makes sure manufacturers make most of the advanced safety tech standard and not charge extra to be safer.