BYD’s strong run of five-star ANCAP safety ratings has been broken, with the new SEALION 5 plug-in hybrid SUV receiving just three stars under the latest assessment criteria.
The result contrasts sharply with BYD’s new M9 plug-in hybrid people mover, which secured the maximum five-star rating following local ANCAP testing. Both vehicles were assessed against ANCAP’s 2026-2028 Stages of Safety criteria.
The SEALION 5 is the first BYD model rated by ANCAP to fall short of the five-star standard established by the brand’s other assessed vehicles.
According to ANCAP, the SEALION 5 provided respectable crash protection for adult and child occupants, although virtual and sled testing indicated reduced protection for larger occupants and at higher test severity.
Its three-star result was primarily limited by its Crash Avoidance and Safe Driving performance, with ANCAP identifying missing safety features and shortcomings in established areas of assessment.
The SEALION 5’s emergency lane keeping system did not intervene during road-edge testing, while child presence detection was not provided. It also lacks features including seatbelt misuse alerts, stature classification and low-speed pedal-misapplication protection.
ANCAP said the model nevertheless offered several post-crash safety features, including battery thermal management, multi-collision braking and occupant egress provisions, although eCall functionality was absent. The three-star rating applies to both Essential and Premium variants.
ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg said BYD had quickly established a significant position in the Australian market.
“BYD is leaving a noticeable mark on the Australian and New Zealand new car markets, quickly rising to become Australia’s second highest-selling brand since its arrival in 2022,” Hoorweg said.
She said BYD had generally been proactive in submitting vehicles for ANCAP assessment, but the SEALION 5 had instead been independently selected by ANCAP for testing.
The M9 produced a substantially stronger result, with its standard safety equipment including stature classification, child presence detection and a driver distraction system. Its autonomous emergency braking and lane departure prevention systems also performed well across many assessed scenarios.
Physical crash testing recorded low levels of occupant injury risk in almost all areas, while the M9 achieved a perfect 100 per cent score for Post-Crash performance.
ANCAP did identify some limitations. Whiplash protection for third-row occupants was rated marginal, while many assessed child restraints could not be correctly installed in the left outboard third-row seating position.
The five-star M9 rating currently applies to seven-seat variants.
Hoorweg said the contrasting results demonstrated the importance of assessing individual models rather than assuming safety performance based on a manufacturer’s broader record.
“Both the M9 and SEALION 5 have been tested against our latest 2026-2028 star rating requirements,” she said.
“These requirements continue to encourage balanced safety performance across all four stages of assessment, with the SEALION 5 not able to match the safety offering of its stablemate.”