Popular sports car and 2015 New Zealand Car of the Year finalist, the Mazda MX-5, has been awarded a 5 star safety rating by the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP).

The 2015 model is an improvement on its 4 star predecessor and has one of the highest pedestrian protection scores ANCAP has recorded for any vehicle to date.

The MX-5 has an active, or ‘pop-up’, bonnet which is designed to provide extra clearance between a pedestrian’s head and the vehicle’s stiff components beneath.

AA Motoring Services General Manager Stella Stocks says it’s great to see Mazda punching above its weight in safety, particularly for the MX-5.

“It’s often hard for roadsters to achieve 5 stars because structurally they don’t provide the same level of protection to occupants, so manufacturers need to apply additional engineering elements to get it to the same level of safety as a conventional car,” says Ms Stocks.

She adds that the model still lacks some key crash prevention technologies including Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), active lane support and speed assistance systems, which are becoming increasingly standard in vehicles at every price point.

The full list of ANCAP’s vehicle safety ratings, other vehicle safety information and the specifications of the rated vehicles are available online at ancap.co.nz or on the NZTA website.

ANCAP is supported by all Australian motoring clubs, the New Zealand Automobile Association, the Australian Government, the New Zealand Government, Australian state and territory governments, the Victorian Transport Accident Commission, NRMA Insurance and the FIA Foundation.