ANCAP releases safety gradings for five commercial vans

ANCAP has released safety gradings for five commercial vans under its Commercial Van Safety Comparison program, with the electric Kia PV5 Cargo and seventh-generation Volkswagen Transporter achieving top PLATINUM ratings.

The fully-electric Kia PV5 Cargo, which debuts in the Australian market this week, achieved a PLATINUM safety grading with an overall performance score of 91%.

The VW Transporter narrowly outscored the Kia with a 93% performance score, also earning a PLATINUM rating. This result aligns with the Ford Transit Custom, with both the Transporter and Transit Custom equipped with the same advanced driver assistance system (ADAS).

Among the smaller NA category vans, the Fiat Scudo earned its first ANCAP safety grading, achieving a GOLD level of active safety performance with a 67% score. While equipped with autonomous braking, emergency lane keeping, blind spot monitoring, speed assistance and a driver monitoring system, its performance across these systems was mixed compared to the Kia PV5 Cargo and VW Transporter.

In the larger NB category, the Peugeot Boxer and Fiat Ducato share GOLD gradings, each scoring 77%. The two models are essentially twins, sharing the same platform and safety systems.

Safety feature gaps identified

Four of the five vans tested lack reverse emergency braking, a safety feature designed to help reduce the risk of reversing incidents in busy, built-up areas where these vehicles frequently operate.

The Commercial Van Safety Comparison is undertaken as a parallel consumer information program to ANCAP’s traditional star rating program, allowing consumers and fleets to compare the availability and performance of ADAS across the commercial van market for NA and NB category vehicles.

Each van was tested against ANCAP’s 2023-2025 commercial van grading criteria, reflecting the growing importance of safety in the commercial vehicle sector as online deliveries continue to drive market growth.

Safety gradings for 20 current model commercial vans are available at www.ancap.com.au/vans.