Rigorous new ANCAP protocol scores Lexus RZ five stars

ANCAP Safety has awarded the battery electric Lexus RZ a maximum five star rating under its recently updated protocols, which is the strictest safety testing yet seen in Australia and New Zealand.

The 2023-2025 ANCAP testing criteria has undergone a significant overhaul, expanding the scope of safety aspects and test scenarios assessed, and increasing test score benchmarks.

Key changes include testing a vehicle’s capacity for collision avoidance with motorcycles, improved child and pedestrian protection, heightened attention to vehicle-to-vehicle crash compatibility, evaluating anti- dooring safeguards to improve cyclist safety, and driver monitoring systems that include eye movement analysis for distraction, fatigue, and responsiveness.

The RZ surpassed the required thresholds for a five-star rating in four key safety criteria:

• Adult Occupant Protection: 87% (Exceeding 80% threshold)

• Child Occupant Protection: 89% (Exceeding 80% threshold)

• Vulnerable Road User Protection: 84% (Exceeding 70% threshold)

• Safety Assist: 84% (Exceeding 70% threshold)

Lexus New Zealand vice president Andrew Davis says the five-star rating reaffirms the brand’s commitment to passenger and road user safety.

“These results show Lexus is committed not only to adopting new powertrain technologies but also remains focused on in car technology and safety for our customers,” Davis says.

“The RZ is not only a symbol of luxury and innovation but a benchmark for safety standards in the industry and all Lexus models.

“We’re proud to consistently lead the way in delivering vehicles that come equipped with advanced safety features as a standard,” he says.

Introduced in New Zealand in April 2023, the ANCAP safety rating applies to all variants of the Lexus RZ.

The vehicle features a range of safety measures that includes frontal, side, and curtain airbags, as well as a knee airbag for the front seats. Additionally, a centre airbag, providing added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes, is standard across all variants.

The RZ is equipped with the latest Lexus Safety System+ package, an integrated suite of advanced safety technologies designed to support driver awareness, decision-making and vehicle operation over a wide range of speeds and conditions. The Lexus Safety System+ includes Pre-Collision system, Lane Departure Alert, 9-Airbag System, Blind Spot Monitor, Lane Tracing Assist, Driver Monitor and more.The vehicles autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system also demonstrated outstanding performance in detecting and reacting to vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, performing exceptionally well in various test scenarios