Two new seven-seat SUVs score top safety marks

ANCAP has awarded top marks to the GWM Tank 500 and Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max seven-seat SUVs in its latest round of tests, with both vehicles assessed against the latest 2023-2025 test protocols.

The GWM Tank 500 met five-star thresholds across each of ANCAP’s key assessment areas with Good scores seen across the range of destructive tests.

Maximum points were awarded for the level of protection provided to adult and child occupants in the side impact test, however the full 8.00-point vehicle compatibility penalty was applied to the Tank 500 for its increased risk to occupants of a struck oncoming vehicle.

The GWM Tank 500 achieved the highest score (93 per cent) to date for Child Occupant Protection under ANCAP’s current 2023-2025 protocols. This high score was assisted by the presence and function of a direct child presence detection (CPD) system – a feature encouraged through ANCAP’s protocols since 2023.

“Our protocols encourage the fitment of direct child presence detection systems in an effort to reduce instances where children are inadvertently left in a car,” said ANCAP chief executive officer Carla Hoorweg.

“The CPD system fitted to the GWM Tank 500 is one of the more advanced systems assessed by ANCAP so far, and it's great to see manufacturers implementing this potentially life-saving technology.”

In collision avoidance tests, the GWM Tank 500 is fitted with the full range of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane support systems assessed by ANCAP, and high scores were awarded in braking and lane support tests with pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles, and other vehicles.

The vehicle received an Adult Occupant Protection score of 85 per cent, a Vulnerable Road User Protection score of 81 per cent, and a Safety Assist score of 84 per cent.

Also scoring a five-star result in the latest testing round is the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max.

The result awarded to the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max was based largely on the tests of its closely related partner model, the Tiggo 7 Pro, which took place last year.

ANCAP says supplementary pedestrian protection tests were carried out on the Tiggo 8, along with an assessment of additional technical information provided by the manufacturer, to evaluate any potential differences.

The vehicle was awarded an Adult Occupant Protection score of 88 per cent, a Child Occupant Protection score of 87 per cent, a Vulnerable Road User Protection score of 79 per cent, and a Safety Assist score of 86 per cent

“Chery’s latest offering adds to their current five-star SUV line up, with safer options for buyers,” added Ms Hoorweg.

ANCAP noted that both the three-row SUVs are not equipment with top-tether child restraint anchorages to the third row of seating and therefore should not be used for the transportation of young children in those positions.