Many people still have lingering doubts about the safety of Chinese cars partly as a result of the hangover of some pretty terrible early crash test results in the early 2000s and even some more recent results like the MG 5 gaining a 0 rating in the Australian ANCAP test. However, results just out of a study by Compare the Market Australia rank the BYD Seal and Dolphin as the safest cars available globally with the Seal taking first place and the Dolphin taking second.

The two cars joined the Kia Sportage, Mitsubishi Outlander and Tesla Model Y in the top five. “The BYD Seal and Dolphin demonstrated high safety scores against the strictest 2023 testing criteria from Australasian and European safety authorities, in addition to universally standard safety assistance systems globally,” said Adrian Taylor, Compare the Market’s Executive General Manager of General Insurance.

In the study by the car insurance experts 32 models available in most of six markets were examined across six data points. Countries looked at were Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the United Kingdom, United States and Canada and these markets are covered by three different safety authorities. To gain an overall safety rating the ratings of the three individual agencies were analyzed under Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP). In addition the study looked at whether key safety assistance systems were universally available on each model.

Along with ANCAP, Euro NCAP and NHTSA rating the remaining data points were reversing camera, AEB and lane assist and whether these three items were standard on the base model in all the studied countries.

Not all the models were available in every market such as with the BYD Seal and Dolphin not being available in North America and so to take this into account indexed scores from the other two safety bodies were averaged to produce an assumed score.

Helping the BYD Seal and Dolphin rank so high was that they are both tested using the latest safety criteria. Cars tested using criteria from 2022 or earlier were penalized which meant that although the Tesla Model Y had a higher individual safety score than the two BYD cars the Tesla lost 25 per cent due to being tested using 2020-2022 criteria.

Both BYD models received five stars in the 2023 versions of ANCAP and Euro NCAP testing. Helping them top the ranking was the inclusion of items like the 360° camera, lane assistance and AEB as standard in the Australasian and European markets.

Editor’s note:

This news follows shortly after tests showing the safety of the BYD Seagull. It shows that BYD is not only a serious player in the EV market but is also a safe one. Back in 2022 I visited BYD’s Shenzhen headquarters and saw the safety test facility which is state of the art and one of the largest in China.

Source: Compare the Market