Denza B8 and Hyundai Elexio get ANCAP 5-star safety ratings without new crash tests
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ANCAP gives 5-star safety ratings to the hybrid Denza B8 and electric Hyundai Elexio using partner model policy, avoiding costly crash tests. Learn how this works.
The hybrid all-wheel-drive Denza B8 and the mid-size electric SUV Hyundai Elexio have both earned a five-star safety rating from ANCAP, the Australian vehicle safety testing organization.
However, neither vehicle was actually crashed during these tests. The B8's rating was awarded based on the destructive crash test results of the smaller Denza B5, while the Elexio's rating was based on tests of its related model, the Kia EV5. Each manufacturer provided data confirming "similar safety performance" in collisions.
This is part of ANCAP's rules, known as the "partner model" policy. It allows automakers to submit technical documentation proving that one vehicle's crash deformation will be the same as another that has already undergone safety testing.
In practice, this means automakers and ANCAP can avoid conducting new crash tests. Each test can cost up to $60,000 and take up valuable scheduling time in crash laboratories. The policy allows them to use technical drawings and manufacturer-conducted crash test results to demonstrate that two vehicles will perform identically.
