Safe Cars

Car safety refers to how well a car:

• prevents a crash occurring or reduces the effects of a crash
• protects its driver and passengers in a crash
• protects other road users in a crash

Advancements in technology, design and safety standards have significantly improved car safety over time. These assist drivers to avoid crashes and help protect car occupants in the event of a crash.

Buying a safe car

If you are thinking of buying a car, make sure you buy the safest car for your budget. The safety of cars varies considerably. To gauge how effectively a car can protect you and others, it is important to check the safety rating before you buy – more stars means a safer car. ANCAP tests a broad range of new cars, and ratings are available for most models of used cars. If you can’t find a rating for a particular car it is important that you look for a car that has the safety features described on this page.

Car safety technology is advancing all the time. Newer cars are generally safer than older models. This is because newer cars typically include safety features which can significantly:

• reduce your risk of having a crash
• improve your chance of survival if you do crash.

Car safety ratings

In Australia, the level of safety a car provides is assessed and then identified through star rating systems:

• the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP)
• the Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR) (PDF, 5.1 MB).

Australasian New Car Assessment Program

ANCAP provides independent information on how well:

• cars protect occupants and other road users in serious front and side crashes
• cars can avoid or minimise the severity of a crash.

ANCAP assesses vehicles for:

• adult occupant protection
• child occupant protection
• vulnerable road user protection, such as risk and severity of pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists in a crash
• safety assistance technology.

Find out more about ANCAP.

Used Car Safety Ratings

If you are looking to buy a second-hand car, the Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR) can help you find the safest second-hand car in your budget. The UCSR are based on Australian and New Zealand crash data from 1987 to 2022.

There is a big difference in driver protection between the best and worst cars across all those rated in the UCSR.

The overall star rating applied to each vehicle in the Used Car Safety Ratings rate how well a car:

• protects its driver in the event of a crash,
• protects other road users
• can reduce the likelihood of a crash occurring.

Some 5-star used cars are highlighted as a Safer Pick if they achieve all of these criteria:

• 5 stars for Overall Safety rating
• 5 stars for Driver Protection rating
• at least 4 stars for Other Road User Safety and Crash Avoidance.

Download the Used Car Safety Ratings 2025 brochure (PDF, 5.1 MB).

Car safety features

Car safety features are advancing all the time. Safety features include car structure, restraints and driver assist technologies. These safety features provide car occupants and other road users with the best chance of avoiding and surviving a crash.

Most modern cars give protection through active and passive safety systems:

• Active safety systems are designed to minimise the impact of a crash or avoid it completely. These include most driver assist technologies or Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), for example, collision avoidance technologies.
• Passive safety systems are designed to protect vehicle occupants in the event of a crash. These include airbags and seatbelts.

Active safety features

Driver assist technologies improve your safety and make driving more convenient and efficient.

They help drivers avoid danger by warning of potential hazards. Some systems will use sensors and cameras to intervene automatically to keep occupants and other road users stay safe.

Common examples include:

• braking and vehicle steering control
• collision warning and avoidance
• speed and following distance management

Learn more about driver assist technologies.