Affordable ANCAP: Two budget buys and a famous EV name score five stars in the latest safety tests
Two of the cheapest new electrified vehicles in their segments on-sale in Australia have claimed five ANCAP safety stars along with a new derivative of one of the biggest EV names of them all.
The affordable BYD Seal 6 PHEV sedan and wagon, the super-cheap MG4 Urban EV and Tesla Model Y L six-seater all claimed maximum stars in ANCAP’s latest round of crash-test results.
Leading the group was the BYD Seal 6 (pictured top), which achieved the highest Adult Occupant Protection score at 92 per cent.
The plug-in hybrid also scored 90 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 84 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection and 84 per cent for Safety Assist.
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The results for all three cars are vased on testing by ANCAP’s technical partner EuroANCAP based on 2023-25 protocols rather than the latest 2026 protocols.
ANCAP said the Seal 6 delivered good protection across nearly all critical body regions in frontal and side-impact crash testing, while its autonomous emergency braking systems performed strongly in tests involving pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
The MG4 EV Urban also secured a five-star rating, with the battery-electric hatch scoring 87 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 86 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 85 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection and 82 per cent for Safety Assist.
ANCAP said the MG4 EV Urban, which went on sale locally in March 2026, provided strong crash protection performance and good results in forward pedestrian and cyclist autonomous emergency braking scenarios. The five-star result applies across the entire MG4 EV Urban range.
MG Motor Australia marketing director Dimitri Andreatidis said the result highlighted the company’s focus on safety, practicality and value.
“The 5-star ANCAP safety rating is a significant milestone for the MG4 EV Urban and highlights our commitment to delivering vehicles that don’t compromise on safety, value or practicality,” he said.
The six-seat Tesla Model Y L also achieved a five-star result, recording scores of 91 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 84 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 86 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection and 92 per cent for Safety Assist.
ANCAP said the rating for the Model Y L was based on testing of the related and big-selling five-seat Tesla Model Y, with additional assessment work carried out to ensure the results applied to the longer-wheelbase six-seat variant.
However, the safety body identified difficulties with child restraint installation in the second and third rows of the Model Y L. ANCAP said many restraints could not be correctly installed in the second row due to limitations with top tether routing, while rearward and forward-facing convertible child restraints were difficult to install in the third row using the ISOFIX anchorages.
ANCAP chief executive officer Carla Hoorweg said the latest results reflected the growing breadth of safe electrified vehicle options available to Australian buyers.
“Buyers now have more choice than ever before,” she said.
“ANCAP star ratings provide independent, rigorous assessments of how well vehicles prevent crashes and protect occupants and other road users in serious crashes – meaning consumers can make an informed choice when it comes to safety.”
