As a parent, our children's safety is at the forefront of our minds and never more so than when buying our new family car.
With lots of new family cars gaining five-star ANCAP ratings, I have put together this helpful list of the top ten safest family cars for kids that have performed best in the new ANCAP crash testing that includes child dummies.
- Looking for the safest seven-seat SUVs for kids as rated by ANCAP?
- Looking for seven-seaters that will take three child seats across?
- Looking for the safest medium size SUVs for kids as rated by ANCAP?
- Looking for the safest Dual Cab Ute's for families and kids as rated by ANCAP?
1 – Denza B5 – Scores 95% for Child Occupant Protection
The Denza B5 is a plug-in-hybrid PHEV with a five-star ANCAP safety rating.
Denza B5's with a build date of July 2025 onwards, scored 95% for child occupant protection, 46.81 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored full points for both the dynamic front and dynamic side tests. The Denza B5 also got 11.81 out of 12 for child restraint installation and 11 out of 13 for on-board safety features. Making it a currently the safest car for your rear passengers!
ANCAP wrote of the testing:
In both the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection was GOOD for all critical body areas for both the 6 year and 10 year child dummies, and maximum points were scored. The Denza B5 is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the second row outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all second row seating positions.
Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed most child restraints could be accommodated in most rear seating positions, though one of the selected booster seats could not be correctly installed in the centre rear seating position.
A direct child presence detection (CPD) system, which provides an alert and warning when a child may have been left in the vehicle, is fitted to all seats as standard. The vehicle can also provide escalated warnings and intervene by activating the air conditioning if the driver does not respond to the initial warning.
The Denza B5 has seven airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags are standard. A centre airbag which, provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes, is also standard.
There are also pretensioner seatbelts in the front seats and in the second-row outer seats of the Denza B5 (these are beneficial once your children are out of fully harnessed child seats).
This ANCAP child restraint fitting chart shows which types of child seats were able to be safely installed in the second-row seats of the Denza B5:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the Denza B5 did quite well in this, with a score of 34.71 out of 40 or 86% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.56 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 3.75 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for the side impact test, far side impact test and for the rescue and extraction and 3.91 out of 4 for whiplash protection and 5.50 out of 6 for the oblique pole crash test.
2 – Tesla Model 3– Scores 95% for Child Occupant Protection
The Tesla Model 3 is a fully electric sedan with a five-star ANCAP safety rating.
Tesla Model 3 with a build date of September 2023 onwards, scored 95% for child occupant protection, 46.6 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored full points for both the dynamic front and dynamic side tests. The Tesla Model 3 also got 11.60 out of 12 for child restraint installation and 11 out of 13 for on-board safety features. Making it currently one of the safest car for your rear passengers!
ANCAP wrote of the testing:
In both the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection was GOOD for all critical body areas for the 6 year and 10 year child dummies. The Tesla Model 3 is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the rear outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all rear seating positions. A direct child presence detection (CPD) system, which provides an alert when a child may have been left in the vehicle, is fitted to all seats as standard.
Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed most of the selected child restraints could be accommodated in each of the rear seating positions, although one of the selected Type A convertible seats could not be correctly installed in rearward facing mode using the ISOfix anchorages.
The Tesla Model 3 has seven airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.
There are also pretensioner seatbelts in the front seats and in the second-row outer seats of the Tesla Model 3 (these are beneficial once your children are out of fully harnessed child seats).
This ANCAP child restraint fitting chart shows which types of child seats were able to be safely installed in the second-row seats of the Tesla Model 3:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the Tesla Model 3 did extremely well in this, with a score of 36.38 out of 40 or 90% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.57 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 5.81 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for the side impact test, pole test, far side impact test and for the whiplash protection. Scoring 3 out of 4 for the rescue and extraction test.
3 – Tesla Model Y– Scores 95% for Child Occupant Protection
The Tesla Model Y is a fully electric medium size SUV with a five star ANCAP safety rating.
Tesla Model Ys with a build date from February 2025 onwards, scored 95% for child occupant protection, 46.62 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored full points for both the dynamic front and dynamic side tests. The Tesla Model Y also got 11.62 out of 12 for child restraint installation and 11 out of 13 for on-board safety features. Making it currently one of the safest medium size SUV for your rear passengers!
ANCAP wrote of the testing:
In the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection of the 10 year and 6 year dummies was GOOD and maximum points were scored. The Tesla Model Y is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the rear outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all rear seating positions.
A direct child presence detection (CPD) system is fitted, covering all seating positions. The system provides an alert and warning when a child is detected in the vehicle after stopping, and can activate the vehicle’s air-conditioning.
Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed most child restraints could be accommodated in most rear seating positions, however the Type A capsule and one of the booster seats could not be correctly installed in the centre rear position.
The Tesla Model Y has seven airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags are standard. A centre airbag, which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes, is also standard.
There are also pretensioner seatbelts in both front seats and both outer rear seats and in the Tesla Model Y (these are beneficial once your children are out of fully harnessed child seats).
This ANCAP child restraint fitting chart shows which types of child seats were able to be safely installed in the second-row seats of the Tesla Model Y :
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the Tesla Model Y did well in this too, with a score of 36.52 out of 40 or 91% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.79 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 6.40 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for the side impact test, whiplash protection and far side impact test. The Tesla Model Y scored 5.33 out of 6 for the oblique pole test and 3 out of 4 for the rescue and extraction test.
4 – Polestar 3- Scores 94% for Child Occupant Protection
The Polestar 3 is a fully electric sedan with a five star ANCAP safety rating.
Polestar 3 with a build date of May 2024 onwards, scored 94% for child occupant protection, 46.22 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored full points for both the dynamic front and dynamic side tests. The Polestar 3 also got 11.22 out of 12 for child restraint installation and 11 out of 13 for on-board safety features. Making it a currently the second safest car for your rear passengers!
ANCAP wrote of the testing:
In the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection of the 10 year and 6 year dummies was GOOD and the Polestar 3 scored maximum points in these tests. The Polestar 3 is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the rear outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all rear seating positions. Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed most child restraints could be accommodated in most rear seating positions, however the Type A capsule and one of the booster seats could not be correctly installed in the centre rear position, and one of the selected Type A convertible seats could not be correctly installed in rearward facing mode using the ISOfix anchorages. A direct child presence detection (CPD) system is fitted to all passenger seats as standard, which prevents the car from being locked when a child may have been left in the vehicle.
The Polestar 3 has eight airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags and a driver knee airbag are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.
There are also pretensioner seatbelts in ALL seats and in the Polestar 3 (these are beneficial once your children are out of fully harnessed child seats).
This ANCAP child restraint fitting chart shows which types of child seats were able to be safely installed in the second-row seats of the Polestar 3:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the Polestar 3 did extremely well in this, with a score of 36.04 out of 40 or 90% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.78 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 5.25 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for the side impact test, pole test, far side impact test and for the whiplash protection. Scoring 3 out of 4 for the rescue and extraction test.
5 – Volvo EX90– Scores 94% for Child Occupant Protection
The Volvo EX90 is a fully electric seven seat SUV with a five star ANCAP safety rating.
Volvo EX90 with a build date of December 2024 onwards, scored 94% for child occupant protection, 46.54 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored full points for both the dynamic front and dynamic side tests. The Volvo EX90 also got 11.54 out of 12 for child restraint installation and 11 out of 13 for on-board safety features. Making it one of the safest cars for your rear passengers!
ANCAP wrote of the testing:
In the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection of the 10 year and 6 year dummies was GOOD and the Volvo EX90 scored maximum points. The Volvo EX90 is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the rear outboard seats in the second row of seats, and top tether anchorages for all rear seating positions. A direct child presence detection (CPD) system is fitted, covering all seating positions to all seats as standard. The system provides an alert and warning when a child is detected in the vehicle after stopping, and prevents locking of the vehicle.
Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed most child restraints could be accommodated in most rear seating positions. However, in the third row seating positions care is needed to install the Type A capsule, and one of the selected Type A convertible seats could not be correctly installed in rearward facing mode.
The Volvo EX90 has eight airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags and a driver knee airbag are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.
There are also pretensioner seatbelts in ALL seats and in the Volvo EX90 (these are beneficial once your children are out of fully harnessed child seats).
This ANCAP child restraint fitting chart shows which types of child seats were able to be safely installed in the rear seats of the Volvo EX90:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the Volvo EX90 did extremely well in this, with a score of 36.94 out of 40 or 92% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.95 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 5.29 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for the side impact test, pole test, far side impact test and for the rescue and extraction test. Scoring 3.70 out of 4 for the whiplash protection test.
6 – BYD Sealion 7- Scores 93% for Child Occupant Protection
The BYD Sealion 7 is a fully electric medium size SUV with a five star ANCAP safety rating.
BYD Sealion 7 with a build date of January 2025 onwards, scored 93% for child occupant protection, 45.81 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored full points for both the dynamic front and dynamic side tests. The BYD Sealion 7 also got 11.81 out of 12 for child restraint installation and 10 out of 13 for on-board safety features. Making it a currently the third safest car for your rear passengers!
ANCAP wrote of the testing:
In the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection of the 10 year and 6 year dummies was GOOD and maximum points were scored in these tests.
The BYD SEALION 7 is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the rear outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all rear seating positions.
Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed most child restraints could be accommodated in most rear seating positions, though one of the selected booster seats could not be correctly installed in the centre rear seating position.
A direct child presence detection (CPD) system, which provides an alert when a child may have been left in the vehicle, is fitted to all seats as standard.
The BYD Sealion 7 has seven airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.
There are also pretensioner seatbelts in both front seats and both outer rear seats and in the BYD Sealion 7 (these are beneficial once your children are out of fully harnessed child seats).
This ANCAP child restraint fitting chart shows which types of child seats were able to be safely installed in the second-row seats of the BYD Sealion 7:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the BYD Sealion 7 did well in this, with a score of 34.83 out of 40 or 87% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.32 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 4.64 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for the side impact test, pole test and far side impact test and 3.88 out of 4 for the whiplash protection. Scoring 3 out of 4 for the rescue and extraction test.
7 – GWM Cannon Alpha- Scores 93% for Child Occupant Protection
The GWM Cannon Alpha is a dual cab Ute with a five star ANCAP safety rating.
GWM Cannon Alpha with a build date of April 2024 onwards, scored 93% for child occupant protection, 46 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored full points for both the dynamic front, dynamic side tests and for child restraint installation and 10 out of 13 for on-board safety features. Making it a currently the fourth safest car for your rear passengers!
ANCAP wrote of the testing:
In the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection of the 10 year and 6 year dummies was GOOD and the GWM Cannon Alpha scored maximum points in both tests.
The GWM Cannon Alpha is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages and top tether anchorages on the rear outboard seats.
Installation of child restraints in the second row centre seating position is not recommended as there is no top tether anchorage.
A direct child presence detection (CPD) system, which provides an alert when a child left in the vehicle has been detected, is fitted to all passenger seats as standard.
Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed that all of the selected child restraints could be accommodated in each of the rear outboard seating positions and full points were scored for this assessment.
NOTE: Installation of child restraints in the second row centre seating position is not recommended as there is no top tether anchorage.
The GWM Cannon Alpha has seven airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.
There are also pretensioner seatbelts in both front seats and both outer rear seats and in the GWM Cannon Alpha (these are beneficial once your children are out of fully harnessed child seats).
This ANCAP child restraint fitting chart shows which types of child seats were able to be safely installed in the second-row seats of the GWM Cannon Alpha:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the GWM Cannon Alpha did okay in this, with a score of 33.98 out of 40 or 84% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.09 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 3.74out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for the side impact test, far side impact test and the rescue and extraction test. It scored 5.76 out of 6 for the oblique pole test and 3.39 out of 4 for whiplash protection.
8 – GWM Tank 500- Scores 93% for Child Occupant Protection
The GWM Tank 500 is a seven-seat 4WD SUV with a five star ANCAP safety rating.
GWM Tank 500 with a build date of December 2023 onwards, scored 93% for child occupant protection, 46 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored full points for both the dynamic front, dynamic side tests and for child restraint installation and 10 out of 13 for on-board safety features. Making it a currently the fifth safest car for your rear passengers!
ANCAP wrote of the testing:
In the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection of the 10 year and 6 year dummies was GOOD and maximum points were scored in these tests.
The GWM Tank 500 is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the second row outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all second row seating positions.
A direct child presence detection (CPD) system, which provides an alert when a child left in the vehicle is detected, is fitted to all passenger seats as standard.Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed that all of the selected child restraints could be accommodated in each of the second row seating positions and full points were scored for this assessment.
NOTE: Top tethers are not available in the third row. Installation of child restraints in the third row is therefore not recommended.
The GWM Tank 500 has seven airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.
There are also pretensioner seatbelts in both front seats and both outer second-row seats only in the GWM Tank 500 (these are beneficial once your children are out of fully harnessed child seats).
This ANCAP child restraint fitting chart shows which types of child seats were able to be safely installed in the second-row seats of the GWM Tank 500:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the GWM Tank 500 did okay in this, with a score of 34.38 out of 40 or 85% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.35 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 3.69 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for the side impact test, far side impact test and the rescue and extraction test. It scored 5.66 out of 6 for the oblique pole test and 3.69 out of 4 for whiplash protection.
9 – 2023 Ford Ranger & Ford Everest – Score 93% for Child Occupant Protection
The 2023 Ford Ranger Double Cab Ute and 2023 Ford Everest seven-seater SUV are available now.
2023 Ford Ranger Double Cab Utes and 2023 Ford Everests both score a 93% ANCAP score for child occupant protection. In the crash tests, both scored full points for both the frontal offset crash and for the side impact test. For restraint installation, the Ford Ranger scored slightly higher with 12 out of 12, than the Ford Everest, which scored 11.66 out of 12. The Ranger and Everest both scored 10 out of 13 for on-board safety features. For now, this makes both vehicles the safest family cars for kids on sale in Australia.
ANCAP wrote of the 2023 Ford Ranger testing:
In the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection of the 10 year and 6 year dummies was GOOD and the Ford Ranger scored maximum points in both of these tests.
The Ford Ranger is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages and top tether anchorages on the rear outboard seats.
Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed that all of the selected child restraints could be accommodated in each of the rear outboard seating positions and full points were scored for this assessment.
NOTE: Installation of child restraints in the centre seating position of the second row in dual cab variants is not recommended as there is no top tether anchorage.
Installation of child restraints in the single and extended cab variants is not recommended as there are no top tether anchorages.
The 2023 Ford Everest scored:
ANCAP wrote of the 2023 Ford Everest testing:
In the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection of the 10 year and 6 year dummies was GOOD and maximum points were scored in both of these tests.
The Ford Everest is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages in the outboard seats of the second row, and top tether anchorages on all second and third row seats.
Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed that all of the selected child restraints could be accommodated in most rear seating positions, however the Type A rearward facing capsule could not be correctly installed in the second row centre and both of the third row seating positions.
The 2023 Ford Ranger and Everest have nine airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags for all three seating rows (Everest only), and driver and passenger knee airbags are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.
There are also pretensioner seatbelts in the first and second-row outer seats (these are beneficial once your children are out of fully harnessed child seats).
The ANCAP child restraint fitting charts below show which types of child seats were able to be safely installed in each row of seats of the 2023 Ford Ranger and Ford Everest:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the 2023 Ford Ranger Double Cab Ute and Ford Everest scored 84% and 86%, respectively.
10 – Jeep Grand Cherokee – Scores 93% for Child Occupant Protection
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a large seven-seater SUV.
Jeep Grand Cherokees sold from February 2023 onwards scored 93% for child occupant protection, 45.89 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored full points for both the Dynanic Front Test and the Dynamic Side Test. The Grand Cherokee also got 11.89 out of 12 for child restraint installation and 10 out of 13 for on-board safety features.
ANCAP wrote of the testing:
In the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection of the 10 year and 6 year dummies was GOOD and the Jeep Grand Cherokee scored maximum points in these tests.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on all seating positions in the second row of seats, and top tether anchorages for all rear seating positions.
Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed most child restraints could be accommodated the rear seating positions, however the Type A capsule could not be correctly installed in the second row centre seating position using the seat belt.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee has nine airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting, side head-protecting (first, second, and third rows where applicable), and a driver and passenger knee airbag are standard. A centre airbag to prevent occupant-to-occupant interaction is not available.
There are also pretensioner seatbelts in all the first and second-row seats (these are beneficial once your children are out of fully harnessed child seats).
This ANCAP child restraint fitting chart shows which types of child seats were able to be safely installed in the second-row seats of the Jeep Grand Cherokee:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee didn't do as well in this, with a score of 36.64 out of 31.83 or 83% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.61 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 5.89 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test and full marks for both the side impact and pole test. Scoring 3.34 out of 4 for whiplash protection, 1.99 out of 4 for far side impact and 1 out of 2 for rescue and extraction.
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