The Honda Civic e: HEV Achieves a 5-Star Safety Rating from ANCAP.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) recently put three new models from the Japanese brand to the test: the Civic e:HEV, CR-V, and ZR-V. The Honda Civic e:HEV impressed with a full five-star safety rating, while its counterparts, the CR-V and ZR-V, fell just short with four stars.

The Honda Civic e:HEV was first introduced in Australia almost two years ago, in December 2022, but it has only now been assessed by ANCAP, achieving the maximum five-star rating based on earlier tests conducted by Euro NCAP.

According to Drive, the Civic hybrid impressed in terms of adult and child protection, scoring 89% in both categories. It also achieved impressive results in the vulnerable road user protection test with 82% and the safety assist category with 83%.

In comparison, the Euro NCAP gave the Civic line an overall score of 89%, 87%, 82%, and 83% in the same four tests. However, ANCAP was quick to point out that this top safety rating only applies to the hybrid version of the 11th-generation Civic, while the non-hybrid variants sold since late 2021 remain unrated.

ANCAP stated, “Due to these differences, ANCAP cannot be certain that the petrol variants would perform in the same way if subjected to the same rigorous tests, which leaves the petrol variants of the Civic unrated.”

Moving on to the SUVs, both the Honda CR-V and ZR-V achieved four-star ratings across their respective lineups, matching the results of the Euro NCAP assessments.

The Honda CR-V, which went on sale in Australia last October, scored 88% for adult and child protection and 76% for vulnerable road user protection. However, with only 68% in the safety assist category, it fell short of the minimum 70% required for a five-star rating.

ANCAP noted that the CR-V sold in Australia and New Zealand differs from its European counterpart as the latter offers the optional Honda Sensing 360 safety pack on higher-grade variants, which could potentially elevate those versions to a five-star rating.

For reference, the Euro NCAP assessed the latest CR-V with scores of 85%, 86%, 76%, and 67% in adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, vulnerable road user protection, and safety assist, respectively.

The compact ZR-V SUV, launched in July last year, scored 79%, 88%, and 81% in adult, child, and vulnerable road user protection, respectively, but like the CR-V, it fell short in the safety assist category with only 68%, preventing it from achieving a five-star rating.

ANCAP also pointed out that the Australian and New Zealand version of the ZR-V differs from its European counterpart due to a “unique front bumper beam” and the absence of a “supplementary beam in the rear door,” although the latter “had no significant impact on test performance.”

Nonetheless, the Australian ZR-V scored higher than its European counterpart in child protection (88% vs. 86%), while the other tests yielded identical results.

TT (Tuoitrethudo)