Yaris, CLA, CX-30, Defender win RACV safety awards

THE RACV has revealed the winners of its inaugural Safest Cars awards with the new Toyota Yaris, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Mazda CX-30 and Land Rover Defender all taking home top honours in their respective categories.

Using Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) crash safety ratings and data to determine the results, the awards were broken into four distinct categories in relation to vehicle price and style; passenger car vs SUV.

In the sub-$30,000 passenger category, the Toyota Yaris edged out the Mazda3 and Kia Cerato with both the RACV and ANCAP testers impressed by the array of standard safety gear including eight airbags, front-row centre airbags – a light-car segment first – as well as autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection (day and night) and cyclist detection (day), lane keeping aid with lane centring, adaptive cruise control and secondary collision brake system among others.

Tested under the 2020 protocols, the Yaris scored 86 per cent for adult occupant protection, 87 per cent for child occupant protection, 78 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 87 per cent for safety assist.

Top passenger honours above the $30,000 mark went to the Mercedes-Benz CLA which scored 96 per cent for adult occupant protection, 92 per cent for child occupant protection, 91 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 76 per cent for safety assist when it was tested in 2019.

Second and third place in this category went to the Tesla Model 3 and the 2.0-litre versions of the BMW 3 Series.

The Mazda CX-30 was named as the safest SUV under $35,000 with the compact Japanese high-rider edging out the European Volkswagen T-Cross and Skoda Kamiq twins.

According to the RACV, the CX-30 “blitzed the adult occupant test with 99 per cent” while scoring 88 per cent for child occupant protection, 80 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 76 per cent for safety assist.

Tested in 2019, standard safety highlights include autonomous emergency braking (city,

interurban and vulnerable road user), lane keep assist, lane departure warning and an advanced speed assistance system.

The final winner for this year was the Land Rover Defender which was deemed the safest SUV over $35,000 – a far cry from its rudimentary predecessor that went out of production in 2016.

Scoring 85 per cent for adult occupant protection, 88 per cent for child occupant protection, 71 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 76 per cent for safety assist, the Defender outperformed the Kia Sorento CRDi in second place and Tesla Model X in third.

Like the rest of the winners, the Defender’s safety highlights include autonomous emergency braking (city, interurban and vulnerable road user), lane keep assist, lane departure warning and an advanced speed assistance system.

RACV transport, planning and infrastructure senior manager Peter Kartsidimas said the organisation was urging consumers to make decisions based on safety features given the majority of fatal accidents occur in vehicles over 10 years old.

“There have been huge advancements in vehicle safety over the years, particularly in the past decade, as more buyers prioritise safety when researching their next new car,” he said.

“Features like autonomous emergency braking, which applies the brakes when the system detects an object such as another car, a cyclist or a pedestrian ahead, are increasingly offered as standard on most new-model passenger cars and SUVs.

“Other systems like lane keeping aids provide gentle steering assistance to help keep the car in its lane, while driver fatigue systems monitor the state of the driver through cameras and sensors.”