Australasian New Car Assessment Program

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) is a car safety performance assessment programme based in Australia and founded in 1993. ANCAP specialises in the crash testing of automobiles sold in Australia and the publishing of these results for the benefit of consumers. ANCAP provides consumers with transparent advice and information on the level of occupant and pedestrian protection provided by different vehicle models in the most common types of crashes, as well as their ability—through technology—to avoid a crash. Since 1993, ANCAP has published crash test results (as of 2015) for over 515 passenger and light commercial vehicles sold in Australia and New Zealand. Vehicles are awarded an ANCAP safety rating of between one and five stars indicating the level of safety they provide in the event of a crash. The more stars, the better the vehicle performed in ANCAP tests. To achieve the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, a vehicle must achieve the highest standards in all tests and feature advanced safety assist technologies. In 2018, ANCAP adopted the Euro NCAP protocols, with the scoring tweaked to the local conditions. Controversy ANCAP has been the subject of criticism. Equivalent testing in other markets (such as Euro NCAP and ASEAN NCAP) are regarded by manufacturers as equal to ANCAP, attracting comments regarding the efficacy and usefulness of a tax payer funded safety rating system after the collapse of the Automotive industry in Australia, as each test can cost the equivalent of $750,000 AUD. Additionally questions over the rating system itself have been raised. ANCAP has a focus on driver assistance systems, such as AEB, which are mandatory to achieve five stars. This allows some less-safe cars to attain high-ratings by using cheap electronics.