BYD Sealion 5 awarded three-star ANCAP rating in first test under stricter 2026 protocols

Three stars under the new ANCAP protocols

The BYD Sealion 5 has been awarded a three-star safety rating by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), making it the first model from the Chinese automaker to fall short of five stars. The plug-in hybrid SUV, launched in Australia in 2025 and rated for both the Essential and Premium grades sold locally, was among the first vehicles assessed under ANCAP's more stringent protocols introduced in 2026, formulated in partnership with its European affiliate Euro NCAP. ¹

According to the ANCAP report, the Sealion 5's weakest areas were the Crash Avoidance and Safe Driving sections, scoring 51 per cent and 48 per cent respectively. A key issue was that its emergency lane-keeping system did not intervene when tested in road-edge scenarios. ANCAP's report noted that unintended lane departures account for 42 per cent of fatal crashes and 55 per cent of fatalities resulting from light-vehicle crashes in Australia. ¹

What the Sealion 5 was marked down for

Beyond the lane-keeping failure, ANCAP noted several missing features. The Sealion 5 has no child presence detection – a system that warns a driver if an infant has been left in the vehicle, assessed by ANCAP since 2023 – and no seatbelt misuse alert. It also lacks an emergency e-call function to automatically alert emergency services after a serious collision, occupant stature classification to tailor restraint response, and low-speed pedal-misapplication protection that suppresses engine power if the accelerator is pressed with a pedestrian ahead. ¹

The rating contrasts with early UK expectations before the ANCAP result. Carwow noted that Euro NCAP had not crash tested the Sealion 5 and that every BYD model in Europe then held a five-star rating, saying it would be surprised if the Sealion 5 bucked the trend, while the RAC similarly expected it to follow the five-star results of the Sealion 7, Seal 6 and Dolphin Surf. ⁵⁶

BYD's response and how the model came to be tested

BYD Australia told CarExpert the Sealion 5 is a safe vehicle that complies with all Australian Design Rules and regulatory safety standards, and that the current rating reflects ANCAP's updated 2026 protocol, with strengthened criteria compared with the 2023–2025 protocol applicable when the model was introduced globally. The company added that every other BYD vehicle tested by ANCAP has been awarded five stars. ¹

ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg said BYD continues to be proactive in bringing models forward for testing, but the Sealion 5 was a model the brand had not actively pursued and was subsequently selected by ANCAP to give consumers a clear picture of its safety performance. CarExpert reports that BYD chose the Sealion 8 for testing under the outgoing protocols – achieving five stars – and withdrew previous plans to have the Sealion 5 tested, leaving it unrated until ANCAP listed it high on its evaluation priorities earlier in 2026. ¹

The M9's five stars and the wider category picture

The Sealion 5 result was announced at the same time as the BYD M9 PHEV people mover was awarded five stars under the same 2026–2028 star rating requirements. The M9 scored 100 per cent for Post Crash safety, 89 per cent for Crash Protection, 78 per cent for Crash Avoidance and 75 per cent for Safe Driving. Hoorweg said these requirements encourage balanced safety performance across all four assessment stages, with the Sealion 5 not able to match the safety offering of its stablemate. ¹

The Sealion 5 is not alone in its mid-size plug-in hybrid segment in lacking five stars: the latest-generation Toyota RAV4, introduced in 2025, is currently unrated. Toyota Australia told CarExpert it expects the RAV4 to be tested by the end of 2026 under the new protocols and is working towards a five-star result. ¹

The vehicle behind the rating: Australian pricing and specifications

The Sealion 5 launched in Australia as the country's most affordable plug-in hybrid SUV at the time, priced from $33,990 plus on-road costs for the Essential grade and $37,990 plus on-road costs for the Premium, according to NRMA's Open Road. The Maxxia review, sourced from carsales.com.au, confirms the two-grade line-up with a $4000 gap between grades, undercutting the Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid at $39,990 drive-away, the Geely Starray EM-i from $37,490 plus on-roads and the BYD Sealion 6 Essential from $42,990 plus on-road costs. ³⁴

Both grades use a 1.5-litre petrol engine (72kW/122Nm) paired with a 145kW/300Nm electric motor driving the front wheels, for combined output of 156kW, per NRMA. The Essential carries a 12.9kWh battery claimed at up to 71km of electric-only driving and 1.2L/100km, while the Premium's 18.3kWh battery supports a claimed 100km electric range and 1.3L/100km. NRMA reported 0–100km/h in 7.7 seconds for the Essential and 8.1 seconds for the heavier Premium, and measured 5.2L/100km across its test loop. Charging is AC-only at up to 3.3kW, with no DC fast-charging support, taking about 4.5 hours for the Essential and six hours for the Premium. ³⁴

Equipment is substantial for the price. NRMA lists 18-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and leather-appointed seats as standard, with a 10.1-inch touchscreen and six-speaker audio on the Essential and a 12.8-inch screen with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, nine speakers, wireless charging, a 360-degree camera and electric tailgate on the Premium. Maxxia's carsales review additionally lists DAB+ digital radio, embedded navigation and 4G cloud services, with the Premium adding a panoramic sunroof and roof rails. Both reviews note a 463-litre boot expanding to 1410 litres, no spare tyre, and a six-year/150,000km warranty with an eight-year/160,000km battery warranty. ³⁴

Independent driving impressions and driver-assistance behaviour

NRMA's testers found the Sealion 5 competent but unremarkable to drive, with soft suspension, light steering, a persistent low-frequency cabin resonance and road noise, averaging 5.2L/100km in hybrid mode. They also described the driver-assistance systems as onerous, with frequent alerts whenever eyes diverted from the road and a lane-assistance function that pushed the car back into its lane. The lack of an ANCAP rating was listed among its drawbacks at that time. ³

In the UK, Carwow's reviewers found the lane-keeping aids and driver distraction monitoring overly sensitive, with BYD saying it was tuning the systems to better align with European road conditions, while Autotrader scored the safety equipment experience three out of five after frequent chimes and inaccurate speed-alert behaviour. Autotrader nonetheless rated the car highly overall at 4.5, praising the clever hybrid system, refinement and value, and the RAC scored it 7.5, calling it excellent value with a spacious, comfortable cabin. These impressions of intrusive assistance behaviour align with the ANCAP finding of weakness in Crash Avoidance, though the publications tested different vehicles under different conditions. ⁵²⁶¹