Four prominent electric and hybrid vehicles—the BYD Seal 6, MG 4 EV Urban, Skoda Octavia, and Tesla Model Y L—have earned top-tier five-star safety ratings from Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). These assessments were conducted under the 2023–25 testing criteria, confirming that these models meet high safety standards despite upcoming regulatory shifts in 2026.
While all four vehicles achieved the maximum star rating, the detailed reports highlight specific areas where occupant protection varies, particularly regarding child restraint installation and impact force distribution.
Tesla Model Y L: Top Marks with Installation Caveats
The Tesla Model Y L, a six-seat extended-wheelbase variant of Australia’s best-selling electric SUV, achieved strong scores across the board. It recorded 91% for adult occupant protection, 92% for safety assist systems, 86% for vulnerable road user protection, and 84% for child occupant protection.
ANCAP validated these results through additional testing on the longer-wheelbase model, ensuring the data applied specifically to this new configuration. However, the report flagged significant practical challenges for families:
- Child Restraint Issues: Installing child seats in the second row proved difficult for many restraints due to limitations with top-tether routing.
- Third-Row Limitations: Rearward-facing and forward-facing convertible child restraints could not be easily installed using ISOFIX anchorages in the third row.
Despite these installation hurdles, the crash test performance was largely “Good.” The only notable exceptions were driver chest protection, which was rated “Adequate” in frontal offset and full-width tests, and “Marginal” in the oblique pole test.
BYD Seal 6: Strong Overall Protection
The BYD Seal 6 sedan and wagon demonstrated robust safety credentials, securing a five-star rating with an impressive 92% adult occupant protection score. The vehicle also achieved 90% for child occupant protection, 84% for safety assist, and 84% for vulnerable road user protection.
Similar to the Tesla, the Seal 6’s report was predominantly green. However, ANCAP noted that in the frontal offset test, the protection for the driver’s chest and lower legs was rated only as “Adequate,” indicating room for improvement in impact absorption for those specific body parts.
MG 4 EV Urban: Good Scores with Specific Risks
The MG 4 EV Urban earned a five-star rating with balanced scores: 87% for adult occupant protection, 86% for child occupant protection, 85% for vulnerable road user protection, and 82% for safety assist.
The assessment revealed two key safety concerns:
1. Dashboard Hazards: In the frontal offset test, structures within the dashboard were identified as a “potential source of injury” for the driver, with chest and upper leg protection rated as “Adequate.”
2. Rear Seatbelt Movement: During the full-width frontal test, the rear passenger seatbelt allowed “excessive forward movement,” resulting in a “Marginal” rating for head protection.
Skoda Octavia: Reassessment Confirms Safety
The Skoda Octavia (hatch and wagon variants) was reassessed and retains its five-star rating for vehicles built from July 2025 onward. This model, which went on sale in March 2026, achieved 85% for adult occupant protection, 82% for safety assist, and 81% for both child occupant and vulnerable road user protection.
Why This Matters
These ratings underscore a critical trend in the automotive industry: high overall safety ratings do not guarantee flawless performance in every scenario. While all four cars are safe, the specific notes on child seat installation and localized injury risks (such as dashboard design or seatbelt tension) provide consumers with vital nuance.
As EV adoption grows, buyers must look beyond the star rating to understand specific safety strengths and weaknesses, particularly if they are transporting children or prioritizing specific crash scenarios.
Key Takeaway: All four vehicles are safe choices under current standards, but parents should verify child seat compatibility for the Tesla Model Y L, and drivers should be aware of specific impact zones for the MG and BYD models.
