[bsa_pro_ad_space id=14]
The VW ID.4 and ID.5 electric SUVs have been awarded five-star safety scores by ANCAP – but only in New Zealand for the time being. Australian deliveries are nine to 12 months away.
The 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 electric SUVs have received five-star safety ratings from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) independent safety organisation.
For now the ANCAP safety ratings only apply in New Zealand – where the ID.4 and ID.5 have just gone on sale – as the first examples are not due in Australian VW showrooms until this time next year.
It is anticipated much of the result will carry over to Australia, however there may be subtle differences in the score as a top-tether child-seat anchor point will need to be added to models bound for Australia if the ID.4 and ID.5 are to be certified as five-seat passenger vehicles.
New Zealand-delivered models lack this anchor point. In Australia, it is a requirement for passenger vehicles to feature a child-seat top-tether anchor point for each rear seating position.
Although the rating is being announced for New Zealand in 2023, the ID.4 and ID.5 were tested by ANCAP’s sister organisation Euro NCAP in 2021 under the just-superseded 2020-2022 test protocols.
Five-star safety ratings for the ID.4 and ID.5 were announced by Euro NCAP in Europe in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
The ID.5’s result – the ‘coupe-styled’ twin to the ID.4 – is based on crash testing of the ID.4. ANCAP says it was “provided with technical information to show that the test results of the ID.4 are also applicable to the ID.5.”
The vehicles received category scores of 93 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 89 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 76 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection (pedestrians and cyclists), and 76 per cent for Safety Assist technology.
This Safety Assist score is lower than the 85 per cent result awarded to European models as the New Zealand versions lack technology that can read speed signs using in-built cameras.
“It is good to see Volkswagen’s new ID models arrive in to New Zealand with five-star ANCAP safety ratings,” ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg said in a media statement.
The Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 are due in Australian showrooms between April and July 2024, pending any delays.
Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.
Read more about Alex Misoyannis
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=15]