The technology can transmit critical information such as vehicle location, travel direction, airbag deployment and the number of occupants inside the vehicle. This information can help emergency responders assess a situation before arriving at the scene.
ANCAP has significantly increased the weighting of eCall within its latest assessment framework, reflecting the growing importance of connected safety technologies.
ANCAP is expanding beyond passenger vehicles
Historically, ANCAP has focused on passenger vehicles and light commercial utes. However, the organisation is steadily expanding its scope to include vehicle categories that are becoming increasingly important to fleets.
Commercial vans have been under assessment since 2020, while light trucks and large Americanstyle utilities have been added more recently. Heavy goods vehicles are expected to follow.
Unlike passenger vehicles, these new categories currently focus primarily on evaluating advanced safety technologies rather than traditional crash testing. Instead of ANCAP ' s familiar five-star ratings, these vehicles receive gold, silver, bronze or platinum medallions based on their performance.
Testing has already revealed substantial differences between manufacturers. Commercial vans have shown significant improvements in recent years, particularly in their ability to detect and respond to pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users.
Meanwhile, light truck assessments have also provided valuable insights, although ANCAP noted that many vehicles in this category still offer relatively basic safety technology. The first round of testing was intended to establish a benchmark and encourage manufacturers to improve future vehicle designs.
Five-star ratings still matter
ANCAP continues to encourage organisations to wait for safety ratings before committing to new vehicle purchases, particularly when introducing newly released models into their fleets.
While they do not require organisations to purchase five-star vehicles, the organisation remains committed to promoting the safest available options. According to ANCAP, around 75 to 80 per cent of new vehicles sold each year carry a safety rating, and more than 80 per cent of those vehicles achieve a five-star result.
This creates significant opportunities for fleet managers to improve road safety outcomes not only for current drivers but also for future owners.
Fleet vehicles eventually enter the second-hand market, so today ' s purchasing decisions can influence vehicle safety for many years after a vehicle becomes part of the second-hand market.
Safety technology only works if drivers use it
As vehicle technology becomes more sophisticated, driver acceptance and usage become just as important as the technology itself.
ANCAP acknowledges growing concerns around intrusive warning systems and driver frustration with the increasing number of alerts generated by modern vehicles. However, they also emphasised that these systems play a critical role in preventing crashes. Therefore, these should not be routinely disabled.
Manufacturers are now being encouraged to develop systems that improve safety without creating unnecessary distractions or frustrations for drivers. ANCAP has also built these considerations directly into its assessment protocols.
Vehicle safety is becoming more complex, more connected and far more proactive than ever before. And as ANCAP ' s assessment programs continue to evolve, organisations that rely solely on traditional safety metrics may find themselves falling behind.
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