BYD Sealion 6 gains five-star ANCAP rating

ANCAP has awarded the BYD Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid a five-star safety rating based upon results obtained from testing of the BEV equivalent sold in Europe, the BYD Seal-U and Australian-specific frontal offset (MPDB) and oblique pole tests.

Results from the MPDB test of the PHEV variant are said to have mirrored those achieved by the battery electric variant, with high levels of driver and front-seat passenger protection. Full points were awarded for critical body regions, with the exception of the driver’s lower legs which were graded as Adequate.

In assessing vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility, the BYD Sealion 6 presented a moderate risk to oncoming vehicles in the frontal offset test. A 3.82-point penalty out of 8.00 points was applied.

In the full width frontal test, maximum points were achieved for protection of the rear passenger. Protection of the driver’s chest was graded as Adequate.

In the oblique pole test conducted on the PHEV, Good protection was offered to the head, abdomen and pelvis of the driver. An Adequate level of protection was recorded for the driver’s chest.

This chest protection result is slightly poorer than that achieved by the battery electric variant, which was assessed as Good.

The BYD Sealion 6 is fitted with an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system capable of detecting and reacting to vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

Testing of this system showed Good performance in AEB pedestrian, cyclist and motorcycle test scenarios, with collisions avoided or mitigated in most tests. Performance in reverse (AEB backover) scenarios was graded as Marginal.

The Sealion 6 is fitted with a cyclist anti-dooring system that provides information if a bicycle is approaching from the rear, however the information was not sufficiently early to be awarded points for this function.

Overall, the BYD Sealion 6 scored 88 per cent (35.51 out of 40 points) in the Adult Occupant Protection category, 86 per cent (42.52 out of 49 points) in the Child Occupant Protection category, 83 per cent (52.59 out of 63 points) in the Vulnerable Road User Protection category, and 75 per cent (13.64 out of 18 points) in the Safety Assist category.

“The BYD stable continues to offer high levels of safety to its customers, with the Sealion 6 now joining the Dolphin, Seal and Atto 3 as five-star vehicles,” said ANCAP chief executive officer Carla Hoorweg.