Top 5 Safest Cars in NZ

When it comes to choosing a new vehicle, many people will want to pick one of the safest cars in NZ. The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) is, according to its website, “Australia and New Zealand's independent voice on vehicle safety”. This organisation “crash tests cars and conducts performance assessments on safety features and technologies”. It then publishes “a simple star rating to indicate relative safety performance”. These safety ratings are “used to compare the relative safety between vehicles of similar size”. ANCAP claims that these ratings have “become a critical factor in vehicle selection for private consumers and fleet buyers”.

These crash tests have evolved over the years to make it that bit harder for cars to achieve top marks. As such, car makers tweak their designs and safety systems in order to score well when they are crash tested. And so, newer cars, designed to meet the latest safety standards, are the ones deemed safest, gaining the most marks in testing. Here is a list of the top five safest cars in NZ.

• Price $45,990 - $56,990
• ANCAP rating - Five stars (2024) 
• Adult Occupant Protection - 85% - 34.04 out of 40 points
• Child Occupant Protection - 88% - 43.59 out of 49 points
• Vulnerable Road User Protection - 86% - 54.36 out of 63 points
• Safety Assist - 82% - 14.83 out of 18 points

According to ANCAP; “The Toyota C-HR offers a balanced level of protection for occupants and those outside the vehicle, as well as through its active collision avoidance capability putting it squarely above the five-star threshold for all four areas of ANCAP assessment.”

The CH-R has a ‘Pre-Collision System’ which Toyota says uses a radar sensor and a camera to determine whether a frontal collision with another vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist or motorcycle is imminent.

According to the car maker; “If the system detects a frontal collision may occur it will warn you with an audio and visual alert to urge you to take evasive action. It then prepares the Brake Assist system to provide maximum braking assistance and if you do not brake in time it may also automatically apply the brakes to help you avoid the collision or reduce the speed of the impact”.

• Price - $36,990 - $42,990
• ANCAP rating - Five stars (2024) 
• Adult Occupant Protection - 90%- 36.01 out of 40 points
• Child Occupant Protection - 87% - 42.81 out of 49 points
• Vulnerable Road User Protection - 83% - 52.72 out of 63 points
• Safety Assist - 74% - 13.50 out of 18 points

The MG HS has dual frontal and side air bags, the latter providing chest and head protection in an impact. A centre airbag provides added protection to front seat occupants in a side impact. Its autonomous emergency braking system can help mitigate car-to-car crashes, includes pedestrian and cyclist detection and can help avoid accidents when negotiating intersections. The HS has lane keep assist and a lane departure warning to help keep you in your intended lane. This is also backed up with emergency lane keeping to actively steer you back into the lane. An advanced speed assistance system, with a speed sign recognition function, is standard too. 

• Price - $74,990 - $84,490
• ANCAP rating - Five stars (2024)
• Adult Occupant Protection - 92% - 37.18 out of 40 points
• Child Occupant Protection - 87% - 43.00 out of 49 points
• Vulnerable Road User Protection - 84% - 53.33 out of 63 points
• Safety Assist - 83% - 15.06 out of 18 points

The Mazda CX-80 received the second highest Adult Occupant Protection score of 2024 with 92% when tested by ANCAP. This was assisted by its gaining of full points in the side impact, far side impact, whiplash protection, and oblique pole crash tests. 

The CX-80 has many driver assistant technologies. Its Lane Departure Warning system is complemented with Head-on Traffic Avoidance Assistance technology. This monitors the road markings and alerts the driver if they start to veer from the lane. The system applies corrective steering to guide the CX-80 back into the lane. 

• ANCAP rating - Five stars (2024)
• Adult Occupant Protection - 95% - 38.40 out of 40 points
• Child Occupant Protection - 87% - 42.66 out of 49 points
• Vulnerable Road User Protection - 84% - 53.15 out of 63 points
• Safety Assist - 81% - 14.76 out of 18 points 

The Toyota Camry secured the highest overall ‘weighted ranking’ of all vehicle models rated by ANCAP in 2024, earning a score of 88.4%. “The Camry secured top spot in 2024, excelling with a score of 95% for Adult Occupant Protection - the highest AOP score of all vehicles assessed in 2024,” said ANCAP. “The Camry remains a stable and reliable choice with a safety pedigree that dates back over 13 years.”

Among other safety features, the Camry has a Driver Monitor system that uses an infrared camera mounted on the steering column to detect the orientation of the driver's face. If the system detects that the driver is not facing forward it determines that the probability of a collision is high and it will warn the driver.