- ANCAP recently held its first "Large Utilities ADAS Safety Comparison" in Australia.
- The comparison tested the crash prevention and mitigation features of large pick ups from American and Japan.
- The Ford F-150 put in the top performance, while its Chevrolet rival, the Silverado 1500, put in the worst.
The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) recently turned its eye towards a growing (literally) issue on Australian and New Zealand roads; large American pick ups and just how well they protect road users.
The organisation has examined this by testing the crash avoidance technology fitted in these vehicles, with the inaugural "Large Utilities ADAS Safety Comparison" taking in the current Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ram 1500 and Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series, as well as the two big pickups not sold here, but that are available in RHD form in Australia; the Toyota Tundra and an updated version of the Ford F-150.
"Larger vehicles pose a bigger threat to other road users than passenger cars," said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, Carla Hoorweg about the new comparison.
"The best way to reduce the potential risk of fatalities and serious injuries from large vehicles is to make sure they do the best possible job at avoiding a crash.This first-look comparison establishes a benchmark in safety for the large pickups cohort and provides a path forward for manufacturers of these vehicles in creating better outcomes for road users.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the two pickups that have been updated the most recently performed the best during the comparison, with the Ford F-150 topping the group. Fitted with what ANCAP calls "one of the most comprehensive ranges of active safety features among the large utilities assessed", the updated F-150 achieved the highest score of 81 percent and a Platinum safety grading.
Next highest was the Ram 1500. Also fitted with a broad range of well-performing features, the 1500 scored 70 percent and a Gold safety grading.
Genuinely surprising, however, was that fact that the elderly Land Cruiser managed to not only snag third place and a Silver rating, but also better its American cousin - the Tundra - and the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, which languished in last place.
ANCAP says the two Toyota models each provided "a reasonable level of performance" achieving Silver with scores of 55 percent and 50 percent respectively, while the Silverado offered a "narrower range" of crash avoidance performance, resulting in a safety grading of Bronze and a fairly dismal 27 percent.
Hoorweg says ANCAP has applied international best practice in safety testing to the segment to "make sure there is an incentive for manufacturers to improve crash avoidance technology" while also setting a high standard for the program, well above regulation.
"Performance did vary but these results show there is a strong base to build from, and clear opportunity to achieve the performance levels seen in passenger vehicles,” she said.
ANCAP says the initial comparisons will be used to "inform the development of a framework and roadmap for future testing and assessment", and additional safety information is expected to be available for a broader range of large pickup models/variants from 2026.
