August’s VFACTS results revealed some surprising contradictions in how Australians view safety when purchasing a new vehicle. The Toyota Corolla, once a benchmark fleet and private favourite, re-entered the monthly top 10 despite currently being unrated by ANCAP. Meanwhile, Hyundai’s Kona, carrying only a 4-star ANCAP safety rating, is the brand’s top-selling model with 1,983 sales in August.
This raises a critical question: how much value do new car buyers – and especially fleet managers – place on the 5-star ANCAP safety rating?
The changing role of ANCAP ratings
For over 30 years, ANCAP has set the benchmark for crash safety in Australia. Many organisations have written fleet policies mandating a minimum 5-star ANCAP rating for any vehicle added to their fleet. It has become a shorthand for “safe vehicle choice.”
Yet the Corolla and Kona results suggest that the broader market may be shifting. Buyers appear to be prioritising other factors – such as price, technology, fuel efficiency, and availability – over a maximum crash rating.
The fleet dilemma
For fleet managers, this creates a dilemma. On the one hand, maintaining a strict 5-star policy simplifies procurement and signals a commitment to safety. On the other hand, applying it rigidly could exclude practical, cost-effective vehicles that meet operational needs but fall short of the ANCAP benchmark.
It also risks sending the wrong message: that vehicle safety is a box-ticking exercise, rather than a holistic strategy.
Beyond the stars: technology and behaviour
A safer fleet cannot rely solely on the structural safety of vehicles. Increasingly, the biggest risks to organisations come from driver behaviour. Distracted driving, speeding, fatigue, and poor decision-making are leading causes of incidents – even in 5-star vehicles.
This is where technology offers a new dimension to fleet safety:
- Telematics provides data on speeding, harsh braking, acceleration, and vehicle use, enabling proactive intervention with high-risk drivers.
- AI dash cams add real-time detection of distractions (like phone use or driver drowsiness) and can trigger alerts or coaching.
- Integrated safety platforms allow fleets to track trends, benchmark driver performance, and build targeted training programs.
Rather than treating ANCAP as the sole gatekeeper of fleet safety, organisations should be layering behavioural monitoring and intervention on top of vehicle choice.
A call to review fleet policies
Fleet managers should take this opportunity to review their safety policies. Questions worth asking include:
- Does a strict 5-star requirement still align with organisational needs?
- Should the policy allow exemptions for vehicles with advanced active safety technology, even if the ANCAP rating is lower or absent?
- How can telematics and dash-cam data be better integrated into safety management?
- Are fleet budgets and procurement strategies supporting investment in driver training and behavioural safety programs?
The new measure of a safe fleet
The Corolla and Kona sales results suggest that Australian consumers no longer see ANCAP ratings as the sole measure of safety. For fleets, that should be a prompt to look deeper.
A truly safe fleet is one where vehicles are fit for purpose, equipped with modern safety technology, and most importantly, where drivers are supported and monitored to make safer decisions on the road.
ANCAP ratings will remain an important tool – but they should be seen as part of the safety equation, not the final word.
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