The safest cars to buy in Australia

There’s a lot that can be done to boost peace of mind for a car you already own. Boost car security with aftermarket add-ons or some basic behavioural measures. Choose the safest baby car seat to protect your little one. Consider adding a dash cam. But for those in the market for a new or used car, there’s an even better safety step: buying a car that’s renowned for its safety features.

The best way to pick from the safest cars in Australia is by deferring to an independent authority renowned for rigorous car safety testing. We just described the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

ANCAP ranks cars out of five stars, with particular attention paid to safety features that protect vehicle occupants (like your baby!) and pedestrians outside. The ratings change over time as new car safety features are normalised and technology evolves. For instance, newer cars are appraised in terms of how they can avoid or minimise potential accidents. Specifically, the ANCAP rating categories cover Adult Occupant Protection (ACP), Child Occupant Protection (COP), Vulnerable Road User Protection (VRU), and Safety Assist (SA).

It’s not just about everyday cars, either. ANCAP rigorously appraises the following vehicle categories:

In 2023, only 7 cars received a five star rating.

The Lexus RZ gained the most safety percentage points, and took out the top spot for 2023's safest car. With only 0.03 points between them, the BMW 5 Series finished second. The Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV also finished in third place. 

For the individual safety categories, Lexus RZ came in on top again for COP.  The rest of the wins were evenly spread out, with the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV taking out the top spot for SA, the BMW 5 Series for VRUP, and AOP for the BYD Dolphin. 

At the time of writing, there were 10 cars that had received a coveted five-star ANCAP rating, all of which you can see in the table below.

Collectively, the Lexus NX had the most safety percentage points, with the Mercedes-Benz C-Class in second place and the Mitsubishi Outlander in third. For the individual safety categories, top marks went to the Volkswagen Polo for AOC, Mitsubishi Outlander for COP, while the Lexus NX had the highest scores for VRU and SA.

In 2021, ANCAP awarded five-star safety ratings to 18 of the vehicles it tested. The table below outlines the specifics of how they were scored.

The Subaru Outback scored the most percentage points accumulatively, with the Polestar 2 in second place and the Toyota Mirai not far behind in third. For specific categories, the Cupra Formentor had the highest rating for AOC, but the Subaru Outback scored highest for COP, VRU, and SA categories.

In 2020, ANCAP found that 10 cars were worthy of its five-star rating. Check out the table below for an individual breakdown of how each five-star vehicle scored.

Accumulatively, the Toyota Yaris scored the most safety percentage points from ANCAP’s tests, with the SEAT Leon and Cupra Leon in second and third place, respectively. For individual categories, the Mazda MX-30 scored highest for AOP, the Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 tied for COP, the Toyota Yaris for VRU, and the Kia Sorento for SA.