As parents, our children's safety is at the forefront of our minds, and never more so than when buying our new family car and with medium SUVs being the most popular in Australia, we made this list of the Safest medium SUVs in terms of Child Occupant Protection as rated by ANCAP
With lots of new family cars gaining five-star ANCAP ratings, I have put together this helpful list of the top ten safest medium size family cars for kids that have performed best in the new ANCAP crash testing that includes child dummies.
If you are looking for safe cars to carry your precious cargo around in then these articles may also help you-
Which are the safest 7-seat family SUVs for kids as rated by ANCAP here.
Which are the safest Dual Cab Utes for kids as rated by ANCAP here.
Top 10 Safest Family Cars for Kids as Rated by ANCAP here.
1 – Mazda CX-60 – the Safest Medium SUV for kids with 93% for Child Occupant Protection
The Mazda CX-60 is a premium five-seater SUV for families.
Mazda CX-60s built from March 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 and dynamic side tests. The CX-60 also got 12 out of 12 for child restraint installation and 10 out of 13 for onboard safety features, makingit a pretty safe choice 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 Mazda CX-60 scored maximum points in these tests.
The Mazda CX-60 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 that all of the selected child restraints could be accommodated in all rear seating positions and full points were scored for this assessment.
The CX-60 has seven airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags, as well as 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 the first and second-row outer 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 Mazda CX-60:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the Mazda CX-60 did very well in this, with a score of 34.82 out of 38 or 91% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.71 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 5.23 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for both the pole test and the side impact test. Scoring 3 out of 4 for whiplash protection (front) and 0.88 for whiplash protection (rear), full marks for far side impact and for rescue and extraction.
2 – Mercedes-Benz makes several of the safest medium SUVs: GLC got 92% for Child Occupant Protection
The Mercedes-Benz GLC is a luxury five-seater SUV that also comes in the sleek coupe format shown below.
Mercedes-Benz GLCs sold from June 2023 onwards scored 92% for child occupant protection, 45.39 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored 15.39 out of 16 the Dynanic Front Test and 8 out of 8 for the Dynamic Side Test. The Mercedes-Benz GLC also got 12 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 test, dummy readings indicated GOOD protection for all critical body areas of both child dummies, apart from the neck of the 10 year dummy where protection was rated as ADEQUATE.
In the side impact test, protection of all critical body areas was GOOD for both child dummies, and maximum points were scored.
The Mercedes-Benz GLC 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 that all of the selected child restraints could be accommodated in all rear seating positions and full points were scored for this assessment.
The Mercedes-Benz GLC has eight airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags, as well as 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 the first and second-row outer seats in the Mercedes-Benz GLC (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 Mercedes-Benz GLC:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the Mercedes-Benz GLC didn't do as well in this, with a score of 35.20 out of 38 or 92% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.68 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 6.63 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test and full marks for the side impact and 5 out of 6 for the pole test. Scoring 3.90 out of 4 for whiplash protection, 4 out of 4 for far side impact and 2 out of 2 for rescue and extraction.
3 – Mitsubishi Outlander – Safest medium SUV for the money! 92% for Child Occupant Protection
The Mitsubishi Outlander is available as a five-seater or seven-seater family SUV and it is worth noting that the third-row seats are not tested in ANCAP COP crash testing.
Mitsubishi Outlanders with a build date of July 2021 onwards scored 92% for child occupant protection, 45.43 out of 49 points to become the safest medium SUV for the money. In the crash tests, it scored full points for both the frontal offset crash and for the side impact test. The Outlander also got 11.43 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 maximum points were scored in these tests.
The Mitsubishi Outlander is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the second row outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all second row seating positions. Top tethers are not available in the optional third row. Installation of child restraints in the third row is therefore not recommended.
Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed most child restraints could be accommodated in most second row seating positions, though in the centre rear position, one of the selected convertible seats could not be correctly installed in forward facing or rearward facing modes, and one of the selected booster seats could not be correctly installed.
The Outlander has eight airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting, and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes, as well as a driver knee airbag, are also standard on all variants.
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).
This ANCAP child restraint fitting chart shows which types of child seat were able to be safely installed in the second-row seats of the Mitsubishi Outlander:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car and the Mitsubishi Outlander didn't do so well in this, with a score of 31.61 out of 38 or 83% for Adult Occupant Protection with 6.84 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 5.59 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for both the pole test and the side impact test. Scoring 3.18 out of 4 for whiplash protection, 3 out of 4 for far side impact and 1 out of 2 for rescue and extraction.
4 – Mercedes-Benz EQC- Scores 93% for Child Occupant Protection
The Mercedes-Benz EQC is a fully electric medium-size luxury SUV.
Mercedes-Benz EQC with a build date of November 2019 onwards, scored 92% for child occupant protection, 45.1 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored full points for both the dynamic side test and 15.11 out of 16 for the dynamic front test. The Mercedes-Benz EQC also got 12 out of 12 for child restraint installation and 10 out of 13 for on-board safety features. Making it a good car for your rear passengers.
ANCAP wrote of the testing:
In the frontal offset test, readings of neck tension in the 10 year dummy indicated MARGINAL protection. Otherwise, protection of both the 6 year and 10 year dummies was GOOD. In the side impact test, protection of all critical body areas was GOOD for both child dummies.
The Mercedes-Benz EQC 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 that all of the selected child restraints could be accommodated in each of the rear seating positions and full points were scored for this assessment.
The Mercedes-Benz EQC has nine airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting airbags for front and second-row outboard seating positions, side head-protecting (curtains) for the front and second rows, and knee airbags for the driver are standard.
There are also pretensioner seatbelts in the first and second-row outer seats of the Mercedes-Benz EQC (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 Mercedes-Benz EQC:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the Mercedes-Benz EQC did extremely well in this, with a score of 36.6 out of 38 or 96% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.59 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 7.80 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for the side impact test and pole test. Scoring 1.72 out of 4 for whiplash protection, full marks for both far side impact and AEB – city.
5 – Mercedes-Benz EQB- Scores 91% for Child Occupant Protection
The Mercedes-Benz EQB is a fully electric medium size luxury SUV that comes in five and seven seat versions. Only the EQB 250 (seven seat) qualifies for the ANCAP rating.
Mercedes-Benz EQB 250 with a build date of August 2022 onwards, scored 91% for child occupant protection, 44.8 out of 49 points, yet another Mercedes on the list of safest medium SUVs. In the crash tests, it scored full points for the dynamic side test and 15.80 out of 16 for the dynamic front test. The Mercedes-Benz EQB also got 10.97 out of 12 for child restraint installation and 10 out of 13 for on-board safety features. Making it a good car for your rear passengers.
ANCAP wrote of the testing:
In the frontal offset test, protection of the neck of the 6 year dummy was ADEQUATE, while the protection offered to all other critical body regions of both the 6 and 10 year dummies was GOOD.
In the side impact test, protection of all critical body areas was GOOD for both dummies, and maximum points were scored. The Mercedes-Benz EQB is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the outboard seats in both the second and third rows 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 in the third row, one of the convertible seats in rearward-facing mode could not be correctly installed and care is needed to tension the ISOFix anchorages in the third row seats.
The Mercedes-Benz EQB has seven airbags as standard:
Dual frontal airbags, side chest-protecting airbags for both the first and second row outboard seating positions, side head-protecting airbags (curtains) for all seating rows, and a driver knee airbag are standard.
There are also pretensioner seatbelts in the first and second-row outer seats of the Mercedes-Benz EQB (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 Mercedes-Benz EQB:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the Mercedes-Benz EQB did extremely well in this, with a score of 36.6 out of 36.4 or 95% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.23 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 8 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for the side impact test and 7.53 out of 8 for the pole test. Scoring 1.64 out of 4 for whiplash protection, full marks for AEB – city.
6 – Nissan X-Trail Scores 90% for Child Occupant Protection
The Nissan X-Trail is a medium size five or seven-seater SUV.
Nissan X-Trails sold from November 2022 onwards scored 90% for child occupant protection, one of only a handful of of mainstream models to be on this list of safest medium SUVs with 44.12 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored 15.28 out of 16 points for both the Dynamic Front Test and full marks for the Dynamic Side Test. The Nissan X-Trail also got 10.84 out of 12 for child restraint installation and 10 out of 13 for onboard safety features.
ANCAP wrote of the testing:
In the frontal offset test, protection of the neck of the 10 year old child dummy was rated as MARGINAL. Otherwise, protection of both child dummies was GOOD In the side impact test, protection of both child dummies was GOOD for all critical body areas.
The Nissan X-Trail is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the second row outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all second row seating positions. Top tethers are not available in the optional third row. Installation of child restraints in the third row is therefore not recommended.
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 rearward facing Type A capsule, one of the convertible seats in rearward-facing mode, and neither booster seat could be correctly installed in the centre rear position, and one of the two selected convertible seats could not be correctly installed in rearward-facing mode using the ISOfix anchorages.
The Nissan X-Trail 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 the first row seats and in the outer seats in the second-row only, they are not available in the third-row seats for the seven-seat models or in the second-row (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 Nissan X-Trail:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the Nissan X-Trail did similarly well in this, with a score of 34.66out of 38 or 91% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.58 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 6.63 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test and full marks for both the side impact and pole test. Scoring 3.51 out of 4 for whiplash protection, 4 out of 4 for far side impact and 1 out of 2 for rescue and extraction.
7 – Lexus RZ scores 89% for Child Occupant Protection
The Lexus RZ is a luxury five-seater, all-electric medium-size, family SUV, meaning Lexus joins Nissan and Mercedes in being the only brands to have more than one model in this list of safest medium SUVs.
Lexus RZ with a build date of April 2023 onwards, scored 89% for child occupant protection, 35.09 out of 40 points. In the crash tests, it scored full points for both the dynamic front and dynamic side tests and for child restraint installation and 8 out of 13 for on-board safety features. Making it a safe choice 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 Lexus RZ is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the rear outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all rear seating positions. An indirect child presence detection (CPD) system, which provides an alert when a child may have been left in the vehicle, 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 all rear seating positions and full points were scored for this assessment.
The Lexus RZ has nine airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags, as well as driver and front 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 of the Lexus RZ (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 Lexus RZ:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the Lexus RZ did reasonably well in this, with a score of 35.09 out of 40 or 87% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.14 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 5.79 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for the side impact test and 5.43 out of 6 for the pole test. Scoring 3.73 out of 4 for whiplash protection 4 out of 4 for far side impact and 3.00 out of 4 for rescue and extraction.
8 – NX is another Lexus safest medium SUV: 89% for Child Occupant Protection
The Lexus NX is a luxury five-seater, hybrid medium-size, family SUV that scored 89% for Child Occupant Protection in ANCAP tests.
Lexus RZ with a build date of November 2021 onwards, scored 89% for child occupant protection, 43.87 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored 15.87 out of 16 points for the dynamic front test and got full points for dynamic side tests and for child restraint installation and 8 out of 13 for on-board safety features. Making it a safe choice for your rear passengers.
ANCAP wrote of the testing:
In the frontal offset test, dummy readings indicated GOOD protection for all critical body areas of both child dummies, apart from the neck of the 10 year dummy where protection was rated as ADEQUATE. In the side impact test, protection of all critical body areas was GOOD for both dummies, and maximum points were scored.
The Lexus NX 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 the child restraints assessed could be accommodated in all rear seating positions.
The Lexus NX has eight airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags, as well as a driver 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 of the Lexus NX(these are beneficial once your children are out of fully harnessed child seats).
This ANCAP‘s child restraint fitting chart shows which types of child seats were able to be safely installed in the second-row seats of the Lexus NX:
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car. The Lexus NX did well in this, with a score of 34.59 out of 38 or 91% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.5 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 6.68 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for the side impact test and 5.66 out of 6 for the pole test. Scoring 3.75 out of 4 for whiplash protection 3 out of 4 for far side impact and full points for rescue and extraction.
9 – Nissan Ariya- Scores 89% for Child Occupant Protection
The Nissan Ariya is a medium-sized, fully electric family SUV that is coming to Australia later this year.
Nissan Ariyas, built from November 2024 onwards, scored 89% for child occupant protection, 43.86 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored 15.41 out of 16 for the dynamic front and 7.45 out of 8 for the dynamic side test. The Nissan Ariya also got 12 out of 12 for child restraint installation and 9 out of 13 for onboard safety features, making it a great car for rear passengers.
ANCAP wrote of the testing:
In the frontal offset test, protection of the neck of the 10 year dummy was ADEQUATE, while the protection offered to all other critical body regions of both the 6 and 10 year dummies was GOOD.
In the side impact test, protection of the head of the 10 year dummy was ADEQUATE. Protection was GOOD for all other critical body regions of both dummies.
The Nissan Ariya is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages and top tether anchorages on the rear outboard seats.
NOTE: Installation of child restraints in the centre seat of the second row is not recommended as there is no top tether anchorage for this position.
The Nissan Ariya has seven airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) 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 and second-row outboard seats of the Nissan Ariya (these are beneficial once your children are out of fully harnessed child seats).
We also have to take the safety of the front passengers into account too when choosing our new family car, and the Nissan Ariya did very well in this, with a score of 32.97 out of 38 or 86% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.37 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 6.38 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test, full marks for the side impact test and 5.39 out of 6 for the pole test. Scoring 3.34 out of 4 for whiplash protection, 3.50 out of 4 for far side impact and 1.00 out of 2 for rescue and extraction.
10 – Tesla Model Y: Scores 89% for Child Occupant Protection
The Tesla Model Y is a fully electric medium-sized family SUV.
Tesla Model Ys sold from June 2022 onwards scored 89% for child occupant protection, earning it a place on this list of safest medium SUVs with 43.62 out of 49 points. In the crash tests, it scored full points for both the Dynamic Front Test and the Dynamic Side Test, making it one of the safest medium SUVs. The Tesla Model Y also got 11.62 out of 12 for child restraint installation and 8 out of 13 for onboard safety features.
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.
The Tesla Model Y 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 the rear seating positions, however the Type A capsule and one of the selected booster seats could not be correctly installed in the centre rear seating position.
The Tesla Model Y has seven airbags as standard:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) 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 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. The Tesla Model Y did well in this, with a score of 36.87out of 38 or 97% for Adult Occupant Protection with 7.91 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 7.11 out of 8 for the frontal offset crash test and full marks for the side impact and 5.85 out of 6 for the pole test. Scoring full marks for whiplash protection, far side impact and rescue and extraction testing.
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