Safety remains the single most important consideration for Australian SUV buyers, particularly for families, commuters, and long-distance travellers. With increasingly busy roads, growing urban congestion, and higher average speeds on highways, vehicle safety performance has never mattered more.
In 2025, ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) continues to push manufacturers to deliver not just strong crash protection but also advanced active safety systems that help drivers avoid accidents altogether. The latest generation of medium SUVs now features sophisticated driver assistance technologies.
Importantly, ANCAP ratings no longer focus solely on adult occupant crash protection. Instead, they assess four critical areas: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist technologies. Together, these categories provide a comprehensive picture of how safe a vehicle truly is in everyday driving.
Here are the top 10 safest medium SUVs in Australia for 2025, ranked by overall weighted ANCAP score, along with why each model stands out.
ANCAP Top 10 Safest Medium SUVs – 2025
| Model | Adult Occupant Protection | Child Occupant Protection | Vulnerable Road User | Safety Assist | Overall rating |
| Tesla Model Y | 91% | 95% | 86% | 92% | 91.0% |
| MG IM6 | 90% | 91% | 83% | 79% | 86.6% |
| Polestar 4 | 92% | 87% | 81% | 79% | 86.2% |
| GWM Haval H7 | 89% | 91% | 81% | 80% | 86.0% |
| Geely EX5 | 86% | 87% | 83% | 85% | 85.4% |
| Cupra Terramar | 89% | 87% | 82% | 78% | 85.0% |
| BYD Sealion 7 | 87% | 93% | 76% | 78% | 84.2% |
| Audi Q5 | 85% | 86% | 79% | 80% | 83.0% |
| Chery Tiggo 7 | 82% | 86% | 80% | 82% | 82.4% |
| Mitsubishi Outlander | 85% | 84% | 79% | 70% | 80.6% |
Note: All vehicles listed hold a current 5-star ANCAP safety rating under the applicable test protocol.
Tesla Model Y – Overall rating: 91.0%
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The Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall ANCAP safety score of any medium SUV in Australia for 2025, delivering exceptional results across all four assessment categories.
ANCAP testing highlighted the Model Y’s excellent structural integrity, particularly in frontal offset, side-impact, and oblique pole tests, where the passenger compartment remained highly stable. Its advanced restraint systems, including dual-stage airbags and optimised seatbelt load limiters, provide effective protection across a wide range of impact scenarios.
Crash avoidance is a major strength, with Tesla’s comprehensive driver assistance suite delivering strong real-world performance. Its standard safety features contribute significantly to its class-leading Safety Assist result.
Its Vulnerable Road User Protection score reflects excellent detection and mitigation capability in urban environments, reinforcing the Model Y’s position as the benchmark for total safety performance in the medium SUV segment.
MG IM6 – Overall rating: 86.6%
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The MG IM6 delivers one of the strongest overall safety packages in the medium SUV class, reflecting major advances in the brand’s engineering and safety technology.
ANCAP testing confirmed high levels of passenger compartment stability in both frontal and side-impact scenarios, supported by effective energy absorption and well-calibrated restraint systems. Child occupant protection performance was particularly impressive, with excellent results for dynamic crash testing and clear ISOFIX anchor point accessibility.
The IM6 is equipped with a comprehensive driver assistance suite which delivers strong real-world crash avoidance capability, particularly in urban and suburban driving conditions.
With consistently high scores across all assessment categories, the IM6 represents a significant leap forward in safety performance for MG, positioning it as a serious contender in the segment.
Polestar 4 – Overall rating: 86.2%
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The Polestar 4 achieved the highest Adult Occupant Protection score in the medium SUV segment, recording an exceptional 92% result. ANCAP testing highlighted outstanding structural performance, particularly in side-impact and oblique pole crash scenarios, where the cabin maintained excellent integrity and energy management.
Child occupant protection also remained strong at 87%, supported by highly effective restraint systems and consistently good results across dynamic crash tests. The Polestar 4 demonstrated excellent compatibility with a wide range of child restraint systems, enhancing real-world family usability.
Its 79% Safety Assist score reflects a sophisticated suite of active safety technologies. The vehicle also achieved 81% Vulnerable Road User Protection, confirming strong pedestrian and cyclist detection performance in complex traffic environments.
Together, these results establish the Polestar 4 as one of the safest premium electric SUVs currently available in Australia.
GWM Haval H7 – Overall rating: 86.0%
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The GWM Haval H7 delivers exceptionally strong safety performance, underlining the rapid advancement of vehicle safety engineering among Chinese manufacturers. ANCAP testing praised the H7’s robust structural integrity, particularly in side-impact and pole impact testing, where protection levels remained consistently high.
Its restraint systems, including multi-stage airbags and optimised seatbelt tensioners, provide effective occupant protection across varied crash scenarios.
The H7 also benefits from a comprehensive driver assistance package. With balanced performance across all four categories, the Haval H7 stands out as one of the most comprehensively safe medium SUVs in its price bracket.
Geely EX5 – Overall rating: 85.4%
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The Geely EX5 achieved a strong overall safety result, highlighted by an impressive 85% Safety Assist score, placing it among the best performers for crash avoidance technology in the segment.
ANCAP testing confirmed good passenger compartment stability in frontal and side-impact tests, although minor penalties were applied for chest protection in certain impact scenarios.
The EX5’s advanced driver assistance systems delivers strong real-world performance in both highway and urban driving. Its 83% Vulnerable Road User Protection rating further enhances its safety credentials, positioning the EX5 as a technologically advanced and well-rounded safety performer.
Cupra Terramar – Overall rating: 85.0%
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The Cupra Terramar blends dynamic performance with a strong safety foundation, achieving 89% Adult Occupant Protection, 87% Child Occupant Protection, 82% Vulnerable Road User Protection, and 78% Safety Assist.
ANCAP highlighted the vehicle’s strong structural performance, delivering excellent protection for front occupants in frontal and side-impact crash tests. Child occupant results were similarly robust, with good compatibility across multiple restraint systems.
Its autonomous emergency braking system showed limitations in reverse AEB functionality that prevented a higher Safety Assist score. Overall, the Terramar delivers balanced safety performance while maintaining its sporty character.
BYD Sealion 7 – Overall rating: 84.2%
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The BYD Sealion 7 recorded one of the highest Child Occupant Protection scores in the segment, achieving an outstanding 93% result, reflecting exceptional restraint system performance and strong crash outcomes in side and frontal impact testing.
Adult occupant protection stands at 87%, with ANCAP highlighting excellent passenger compartment stability and effective energy absorption. The Sealion 7’s 78% Safety Assist score reflects a comprehensive suite of driver assistance technologies.
Its 76% Vulnerable Road User Protection score indicates solid pedestrian and cyclist detection capability, particularly in low-speed urban environments. Together, these results position the Sealion 7 as one of the most family-focused safety packages in the medium SUV class.
Audi Q5 – Overall rating: 83.0%
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The Audi Q5 continues to demonstrate refined safety engineering, recording 85% Adult Occupant Protection, 86% Child Occupant Protection, 79% Vulnerable Road User Protection, and 80% Safety Assist.
ANCAP testing praised the Q5’s excellent autonomous emergency braking performance, particularly in intersection and turning scenarios, as well as its strong motorcycle detection capability. Structural crash performance remained consistently high across all test formats.
Its driver assistance suite includes predictive braking, adaptive cruise control, lane centring, intersection assist, and traffic sign recognition, delivering dependable real-world crash avoidance performance.
The Q5 remains one of the most polished and predictable safety performers in the premium medium SUV segment.
Chery Tiggo 7 – Overall rating: 82.4%
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The Chery Tiggo 7 achieved a well-rounded ANCAP result following significant structural and restraint system upgrades, recording 82% Adult Occupant Protection, 86% Child Occupant Protection, 80% Vulnerable Road User Protection, and 82% Safety Assist.
ANCAP highlighted notable improvements in crash structure integrity and restraint effectiveness, resulting in consistent protection across frontal and side-impact testing. The vehicle also delivers strong crash avoidance performance through autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and intelligent speed assistance.
These updates ensure the Tiggo 7 now delivers modern safety performance that rivals established competitors, particularly within its value-focused pricing segment.
Mitsubishi Outlander – Overall rating: 80.6%
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This result represents the second round of ANCAP testing for the fourth-generation Mitsubishi Outlander, launched in November 2021, and reflects significant safety upgrades introduced during 2025.
Key improvements include enhanced restraint systems, increased centre airbag effectiveness, and improved anti-whiplash performance, all aimed at reducing injury risk during frontal and side-impact crashes.
ANCAP also confirmed expanded functionality for the Outlander’s lane support and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems, with the latter now capable of detecting turning collisions and motorcycles, significantly improving real-world crash avoidance capability.
While the Outlander delivered strong results for adult and child occupant protection, its Safety Assist score lagged behind the segment’s leading performers, reflecting a less advanced driver assistance suite compared with newer-generation rivals.
Why ANCAP safety ratings matter more than ever?
Modern safety systems don’t just protect occupants during a crash, they help prevent accidents entirely. Advanced driver assistance technologies such as autonomous emergency braking, lane centring, blind-spot detection, and pedestrian recognition have been shown to reduce real-world crash rates dramatically.
ANCAP’s rigorous testing ensures vehicles meet strict standards for structural integrity, occupant restraint effectiveness, and active crash avoidance. A high score across all four categories indicates a vehicle that protects occupants, pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users.
Final thoughts
The safest medium SUVs in Australia for 2025 demonstrate just how far vehicle safety technology has evolved. The Tesla Model Y leads the field with outstanding scores across every category, while strong contenders from MG, Polestar, GWM, and Geely show that advanced safety is no longer exclusive to premium brands.
For Australian families, commuters, and long-distance travellers, choosing one of these ANCAP top-rated SUVs means greater peace of mind, reduced accident risk, and better protection for everyone on the road.
If safety is at the top of your buying checklist, these ten models deserve serious consideration.
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