Four new European vehicles – including a ute, two SUVs and a car - are hitting the New Zealand market with 5 star safety ratings from the Australasia New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP).

The Mercedes-Benz X-Class ute, Jaguar E-PACE and BMW X2 SUVs, and the Volkswagen Polo car, all performed well across various crash scenarios and tests, providing high standards of safety for drivers and passengers.

AA Motoring Services General Manager Stella Stocks says it’s great to see safety being prioritised across vehicle types.

“We’re pleased Kiwi drivers are being offered a wide range of safety technologies as standard features, no matter the vehicle type they’re looking to buy,” she says.

“Safety technologies help to prevent crashes on our roads and are a key step towards improving New Zealand’s driving environment.”

The Mercedes-Benz X-Class has autonomous emergency braking (AEB), a standard for the X-Class series. AEB can go a long a way in preventing a crash by automatically engaging the brakes of a vehicle when it senses a hazard within critical range. When tested, the Mercedes-Benz X-Class’s AEB system performed well, detecting and either avoiding or mitigating crashes with other vehicles at low and high speeds.

The Jaguar E-PACE features a “pop-up” bonnet and external airbag to provide better support to struck pedestrians. The BMW X2 also has a “pop-up” bonnet, as well as an automatic emergency call function and a fatigue detection system.

The Volkswagen Polo gained a particularly high 96% score for the safety it provides adult drivers and passengers. This was the result of it receiving multiple perfect safety test scores, such as for its AEB system and side impact safety.

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 rightcar.govt.nz.

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.