Safety ratings
Almost every vehicle has an overall safety rating from 1 to 5 stars, calcuated from its safety ratings in 3 or 4 specific categories. The overall rating is the best indication of how well the vehicle protects everyone on our roads.
Vehicles with 4 and 5 stars are the safest, while 1- and 2-star vehicles provide less protection in a crash and are likely to have fewer of the key features which help prevent crashes.
People are twice as safe in a 5-star vehicle than in a 1-star vehicle.
We encourage you to look for the safety rating when buying a vehicle and buy the safest, cleanest and most efficient vehicle in your price range. If you’re purchasing a vehicle from a motor vehicle trader, look for the safety rating label for your information.
We also encourage you to check the safety rating of vehicles you currently own or drive, as ratings do change over time.
There are three safety ratings systems applied in New Zealand, explained below. To find out which system and ratings apply to your vehicle, you can use the search tools on the Rightcar homepage or visit the following pages to get more information.
How safety ratings change over time
Used import safety ratings
Safety ratings are reviewed annually. Use Rightcar to check the latest rating for vehicles registered in New Zealand.
What are the different safety ratings systems?
In New Zealand, light vehicles (cars, SUVs, utes etc) are rated under 1 of 3 systems:
ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program)
ANCAP, an independent vehicle safety authority, assesses the level of safety provided by popular New Zealand-new vehicles entering the market. To determine safety ratings, ANCAP conducts crash tests of various scenarios to measure the safety of those in the vehicle.
ANCAP safety ratings also factor in features that assist in the prevention of a crash and the protection other road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.
Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR)
UCSR ratings assess the relative level of safety of used vehicles already in the market. Safety ratings are calculated by Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) and are based on analysis of the latest real-world crash data to determine the relative safety of specific makes/models.
The primary rating under UCSR is overall safety. This factors in the level of protection a vehicle provides everyone on the road—from the driver to people outside the vehicle in a crash—plus the availability of key crash avoidance features which reduce the risk of crashing.
Vehicle Safety Risk Ratings (VSRR)
VSRR ratings are estimates of the relative level of safety of vehicles. These safety ratings are also calculated by MUARC and are based on analysis of the latest real-world crash data to determine the average safety rating of similar vehicles (eg other small SUVs) from the same year of manufacture.
A VSRR is used when there is not enough real-world crash and injury data for a specific make/model, or if it’s yet to receive an ANCAP rating.
The primary rating under VSRR is overall safety rating. This factors in how well a vehicle is likely to protect everyone on the road—from the driver to people outside the vehicle in a crash—plus the availability of key crash avoidance features which reduce the risk of crashing.
In a number of cases, there will not be enough information to be able to accurately identify the type of vehicle to be able to assign a credible safety rating. In those cases, no safety rating will be displayed.
What to do with a 1- or 2-star vehicle
If you’re replacing your 1- or 2-star vehicle, you can help to reduce the number of less safe and clean vehicles on our roads by deregistering and scrapping the vehicle.
