Australia’s best and worst cars revealed in ANCAP annual safety report card

When it comes to road safety, not all cars are created equal.

ANCAP - the Australasian New Car Assessment Program - has delivered its annual safety report card for vehicles tested in 2024 and it was affordable favourites that topped the list.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Australia’s best and worst cars revealed

The trusty Toyota Camry was ranked the safest car on our roads, with an overall ranking of 88.4 per cent.

In second place was another affordable car, the Mazda CX-80 at 87.6 per cent.

Rob Leigh from TheBeep.com.au said he wasn’t surprised with those results.

“These are two brands that Australian families have trusted for years,” he said.

China’s big push into the Australian car market has paid off with two brands in the top four - the all electric Zeekr X and the JAC T9 ute.

Jade Hughes from JAC Motors Australia said while the name JAC might be new to Australians, the company has 60 years of experience.

“The JAC T9 is the safest Ute in Australia,” she said.

“To build even more trust, we’re giving it to them [customers] at a sub $50,000 price point with the backing of a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty.”

While some are still sceptical of China’s presence, it can’t go unnoticed, with ten new companies set to join Australia’s huge list of new car suppliers by the end of the year.

Three-quarters of all models rated by ANCAP in 2024 achieved the top five-star rating.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Suzuki Swift received a disappointing one-star safety rating, recording the lowest score of the year at 56.6 per cent.

The Hyundai i30 and Jeep Avenger each achieved three-star ratings.