Kiwi Atto 3 gets five-star ANCAP; Aussies to wait

The BYD Atto 3 has landed a five-star ANCAP rating, but only for New Zealand specified models.

It is unclear at this stage the difference between the two vehicles, other than that the New Zealand vehicles are ‘ECE’ or European standard certified vehicles, while the Australian model operates under an Australian Design Rules certification.

Testing was undertaken in Europe for the rating, which could explain why NZ, with its European-certified vehicles gets the rating first. ANCAP is working with BYD distributor EVDirect to finalise the applicability of a rating for Australian-specified models.

The battery electric BYD Atto 3 Small SUV scored well in each of the four key areas of assessment. This rating applies to both the Standard Range and Extended Range NZ variants.

Full scores were achieved for protection provided to the driver in the side impact and far-side impact tests. Whiplash protection for front and rear seat occupants also scored well, and maximum points were achieved for the protection of child occupants in the side impact and frontal offset crash tests.

The active safety capability of the Atto 3 was shown to be of a high standard, with the standard-fit pedestrian and cyclist-detecting autonomous emergency braking system offering good levels of performance in forward, reverse, daytime and night-time test scenarios.

“This five-star ANCAP safety rating for the BYD Atto 3 will no doubt come as welcome news to New Zealand buyers looking for a safe and green choice within its price-point,” says ANCAP chief executive, Carla Hoorweg.

Also getting a rating is the Volvo C40 recharge, with both single and twin motor variants of the Volvo C40 Recharge arrive with five-stars.

Maximum points were awarded to the Volvo C40 Recharge for protection offered to the driver and front passenger in the frontal offset test, and for the driver in the full width frontal test, side impact test, oblique pole test, and both of the far-side impact tests. These scores were however offset by the full 4.00 point penalty applied for vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility, with the C40 Recharge presenting a higher risk to occupants of an oncoming vehicle, if struck.

As with the Atto 3, maximum points were achieved by the C40 Recharge for the protection of child occupants in the side impact and frontal offset crash tests.

Examining the C40 Recharge’s active safety capability, full points were scored for its ability to maintain its intended lane of travel and avoid run-off-road crashes through its lane support system (LSS) functionality. The C40 Recharge’s autonomous emergency braking capability also scored well.

“Today’s ratings see another two fully-electric five-star vehicles added to the market,” Hoorweg says.