Safe small cars Australia: ANCAP upgrades MG3 and Suzuki Swift rating following safety concerns

The Australasian Unusual Car Evaluate Program, better identified as ANCAP, has as of late published its fresh ratings for the usual Suzuki Swift and MG3 compact hatchbacks.

Both fashions are underneath the microscope, as old testing proved much less than advisable for the pair. In 2024, testing of the MG3 resulted in a three-necessary person score, while the Suzuki Swift obtained fair one necessary person.

Controversy quickly followed the Swift’s score, as European testing of the connected model resulted in three stars.

ANCAP administered self sustaining testing of the Suzuki Swift final year after being commended of “physical differences between in the neighborhood-supplied Swift fashions and these supplied in Europe”. The self sustaining outcomes were damning.

Rapidly after issuing a one-necessary person consequence for the 2024 Swift, ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg said “The originate of one of the necessary structural facets and restraints in in the neighborhood-sold Swift autos appear to lack robustness [when compared to the European model]”.

Now, a second round of testing unearths that the Australian model Suzuki Swift is constructed to the connected connected old as its European counterpart.

The MG3 little car isn’t free from controversy either. Revised in Could presumably perchance well moreover fair 2025 to encompass a centre airbag, driver monitoring, and improved collision avoidance to all fashions, the MG3 has obtained a four-necessary person safety score alongside a declare of caution to traders.

Trusty thru a simulated 50km/hr head-on wreck test, the correct-aspect driver seat adjuster failed, causing the seat to curl on affect. Recordsdata from the motive force dummy published vulgar force to the narrate leg, as properly as the dummy ‘bottoming out’ the guidance wheel airbag.

Resultantly, the safety score of the motive force’s leg changed into once rated as ‘unhappy’, and safety of the pinnacle rated as ‘ample’.

Total, the fresh ANCAP test consequence for the MG3 desires to be considered as certain. Recent testing has published:

• Grownup occupant safety is now 74 percent (changed into once 72 percent)
• Small one occupant safety now 75 percent (changed into once 74 percent)
• Inclined road user safety 81 percent (changed into once 76 percent)
• Security aid score now 70 percent (changed into once 58 percent)

Results for the Suzuki Swift, while now not but five stars, are restful an enchancment over the outgoing one necessary person score. Recent testing has published:

• Grownup occupant safety rose from 47 to 67 percent
• Small one occupant safety rose from 59 to 65 percent
• Inclined road user safety unchanged at 76 percent
• Security aid rose from 54 to 55 percent

The fresh ANCAP outcomes observe to all MG3 fashions constructed from 30 April 2025 (VIN LSJWP4U92SZ204415 onwards), and all Suzuki Swift fashions constructed from August 2025 and on sale from September 2025 (VIN …250001 onwards).

Both rankings will almost definitely be legit for six years, unless re-tested.

What about the opponents?

The compact car segment (most frequently known as ‘mild’ or ‘city’) is reasonably area of interest in Australia, comprising finest 2.2 percent of the total car market.

Striking apart the aforementioned MG3 and Suzuki Swift, Aussies decide for longstanding namesakes by methodology of sunshine autos, with the Toyota Yaris, Mazda 2, Hyundai i20 N and Skoda Fabia ruling the roost.

So how originate these autos compare for safety? Skoda’s Fabia with ease holds a five necessary person score, which is able to expire in 2028. It carried out an adult occupant score of 85 percent, youngster occupant score of 81 percent, and pedestrian safety score of 70 percent when it changed into once tested in June 2022.

Meanwhile, the Toyota Yaris is currently rated five stars, nonetheless will change into unrated in much less than a year (August 2026). When tested in 2020, the Toyota Yaris scored an adult occupant score of 86 percent, youngster occupant score of 87 percent, and pedestrian safety score of 78 percent.

Most dazzling is the Mazda 2, Australia’s second most traditional mild car. It has no unswerving ANCAP score as of January 2023, nonetheless changed into once previously rated at five stars. The Mazda 2 held its five-necessary person score from 2015-2022, nonetheless has now not been tested since its June 2023 facelift.

The Hyundai i20N is moreover unrated, and if truth be told, the present generation has never been tested in Australia. In a 2021 European test, the i20 carried out a Euro NCAP score of four-stars.