When you’re in the market for a new car it’s an exciting and confusing time! We all want the maximum bells and whistles we can get for our budget but how do we really understand the safety of a vehicle?
Good news mums, that’s what ANCAP is all about!
The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) is Australia’s leading independent car safety assessor. In short they’re not owned or influenced by anyone and they assign every car a star rating from one to five. The more stars a car receives the safer it is for you and your family. Pretty simple and very reassuring right? To achieve the maximum 5 star safety rating, a vehicle must achieve the highest standards in all tests and feature advanced safety assist technologies (SAT).
ANCAP’s goal is to eliminate road trauma through the testing and promotion of safer vehicles – pretty awesome right? As Mums we couldn’t think of anything better when it comes to keeping our families safe when on the road. And of course think of the benefits of this information when it comes to buying a new or used car!
Why safety is important
This might seem like a silly statement but ANCAP is the science that says not all cars are created equal. Their exhaustive testing and work actually proves some really scary stats like this one;
You have twice the chance of being killed or seriously injured in a 3 star ANCAP safety rated car compared to a 5 star ANCAP safety rated car.
This is the kind of information that families really need to know when they choose a car. It’s easy to be drawn into a sleek looking body shape, leather seats, DVD screens or super sized sunroof but is there really anything more important than knowing that if something terrible happened you’re in the best possible vehicle to protect you all?
What is tested?
There are five different tests undertaken by ANCAP to determine the overall safety rating.
- Frontal Offset test
- Side Impact test
- Pedestrian test
- Pole test, and
- Whiplash test
And yes these cars are crashed beyond repair so they can thoroughly test out these scenarios. Each car is fitted with crash test dummies who have experienced hundreds of crashes first-hand. Their role is critical – they provide a picture of likely injuries in a crash.
These tests are performed with real life scenarios so that it’s not just the dummy driver who is monitored.
In the Frontal offset test car, there’s two adult dummies in the front seat; the rear seat has an 18 month-old child dummy and a 3 year-old child dummy, both in appropriate child restraints so it’s a true test of an everyday drive for us mums.
How to find out the safety rating of a car you’re considering
Dealerships are able to display the ANCAP rating of a car. Of course however if a car doesn’t get a good review it won’t be on display. If you can’t see an ANCAP rating in the dealership when you look at a car be sure to ask for it! You can also access all the ANCAP data free of charge on the ANCAP website and use their tools to compare cars across categories. This is a great way to research vehicles before you even set foot into a car dealership and leading with safety first is a great way to protect your family from the get-go.
By now it’s safe to say we’ve pretty much put every single one of the Mitsubishi range to the test. We’re also proud to say that it’s pretty reassuring to know that each and every one of the Mitsubishi range has a 5 star ANCAP safety rating.
Now that’s safety first at every point!
So, I want bang-for-buck, loads of features and a five star ANCAP rating. Am I dreaming?
We totally get it, you want it all. Heck, who doesn’t? Well the good news is when it comes to family cars the Mitsubishi Outlander ticks all the boxes. This car gets the ANCAP five star safety rating which means when it comes to keeping your family protected on the road there is no better choice. The extra good news however is that the Outlander has everything a family could want and much, much more.
From modern, sleek styling with a choice of 5 or 7 seats, the Mitsubishi Outlander boasts loads of cool extras like reverse camera and sensors, dual climate control, adaptive cruise control and options like a sun roof, electric tailgate and family entertainment system. It’s the ideal car for your Australian family!
Of course like all the cars in the Mitsubishi family a new Outlander comes with the Mitsubishi Diamond Advantage which is massive peace of mind including a 5-year/100,000km warranty with capped price servicing and 12 months roadside assistance. So, yep Mumma – when it comes to safety and features you can have it all!
For more information on why you’d love a Mitsi for your family check out the website – they’ll even send you a gorgeous glossy brochure to leave around the house and tempt or hint to your other half! Of course when it comes to cars there’s nothing more important than safety so don’t forget to use the ANCAP website when you’re thinking of a new car!
From us to you, safe driving!
Find out just how they get the safety rating and watch a real live crash test below!
Here’s the Mitsubishi Triton in slow motion undergoing a full frontal offset test at 64km per hour. Thank goodness for airbags right?!
This has been a sponsored post for Mitsubishi Motors Australia. All opinions are of course our own. Source for most information has been The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).
