Both the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Picanto have received 5 star ANCAP ratings, although the Picanto was criticised for its ‘marginal’ pedestrian protection, it still outperformed the Holden Spark.
THE NEW HYUNDAI ELANTRA went on-sale in February and the 5 star ANCAP rating extends to all variants, with the test vehicle realising 35.01 out of 37; it scored 14.01 for the critical frontal offset test and 16.00 out of 16 for the side impact test, it’s pedestrian safety was rated as ‘acceptable’.
“The Elantra performed well in crash testing and is another sound addition to Hyundai’s fleet which sits well with its competitors in the small passenger vehicle market,” said James Goodwin, ANCAP Chief Executive Officer.
“Advanced safety assist technologies are unfortunately lacking on the Elantra, and Hyundai – along with other manufacturers – should step up and include technologies such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) on all models,” Goodwin said.
The Kia Picanto was released onto the Australian market late last month, although the model has been available in other markets for a few years now. It realised 34.26 out of 37 to achieve a 5 star rating; scoring 15.12 out of 16 for the frontal offset, 14.14 for the side impact test, and a ‘marginal’ rating for pedestrian protection.
“The Kia reinforces that safety should not be restricted by budget with the Picanto providing an affordable 5 star vehicle choice,” said Goodwin.
By way of comparison the recently released Holden Spark which also achieved a 5 star rating lagged the Picanto in some areas and beat it in others, but its overall score of 33.60 out of 37 is behind the Picanto. It realised 12.79 out of 16 for the frontal offset and 15.81 out of 16 for the side impact test, and rated an ‘acceptable’ pedestrian protection rating.
