Hyundai Ioniq 6, Lexus RX smash ANCAP records

ANCAP has released crash performance results for the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Lexus RX this week, respectively setting new safety performance records in the adult occupant protection and vulnerable road user protection categories.

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 – which is due for local launch next month – all-electric Medium Car matched the Tesla Model Y to record a 97 per cent mark in the adult occupant protection area of the assessment.

ANCAP said the result comes from very good performance for vehicle-to-vehicle crash compatibility combined with low levels of injury risk across each of the destructive crash tests performed.

The Ioniq 6 also performed well for its protection of child occupants, with full points scored for the six- and 10-year-old child dummies in the frontal offset and side impact tests.

Hyundai fits the Ioniq 6 with an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system capable of detecting and responding to other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. ANCAP said performance testing of the system was noted as ‘very good’.

An AEB backover system which intervenes while reversing is also fitted as standard on Australian- and New Zealand-delivered models, however it was not fitted to the European test vehicle and therefore not scored in ANCAP’s safety assessment.

The Hyundai scored 97 per cent in the adult occupant protection category, 88 per cent in the child occupant protection category, 66 per cent in the vulnerable road user protection category, and 90 per cent in the safety assist category.

“As electric vehicles don’t have large engine compartments under the bonnet, they have the potential to pose less risk to vehicle occupants in a frontal crash scenario, compared with petrol and diesel cars,” said ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg.

“We have seen that play out in testing of the Ioniq 6, with only a very slight penalty applied for potential risk to adult occupants.”

Petrol- and hybrid-powered Lexus RX models also performed well in recent testing with a record high score of 89 per cent achieved for its protection of pedestrians and cyclists in the vulnerable road user protection area of the assessment.

The RX also achieved a solid 93 per cent score for its collision avoidance capabilities.

Lexus equips the RX with a range of airbags, including a driver’s knee airbag and centre airbag designed to minimise injury risk should contact between the two front seat occupants occur during a crash.

ANCAP said the centre airbag fitted to the Lexus RX demonstrated effective performance in preventing serious head contact in set test scenarios but cautioned that a penalty was applied as technical evidence to demonstrate effective performance across a range of seating positions was not supplied.

Overall, the Lexus scored 90 per cent in the adult occupant protection category, 89 per cent in the child occupant protection category, 89 per cent in the vulnerable road user protection category, and 93 per cent in the safety assist category.

“The Lexus RX is another of our top performers, achieving high scores across all likely areas of assessment resulting in a five-star ANCAP safety rating,” said Ms Hoorweg.