BYD Sealion 5 gets three-star ANCAP rating as M9 earns five
Words: Kyle Cassidy
BYD’s Sealion 5 has received a three-star ANCAP safety rating, becoming the first model assessed by the organisation to fall short of the brand’s previously consistent five-star results.
The mid-size plug-in hybrid SUV was assessed alongside BYD’s new M9 plug-in hybrid people mover, which achieved the maximum five stars.
Both underwent local testing and assessment against ANCAP’s 2026–2028 ‘Stages of Safety’ criteria. The Sealion 5’s result applies to Essential and Premium variants, while the M9’s five-star rating currently covers seven-seat versions.
Sealion 5 falls short on crash avoidance
ANCAP found the Sealion 5 provided respectable protection for adults and children in physical crash tests. However, new virtual and sled assessments showed reduced protection for larger occupants and under more severe test conditions.
Its main weaknesses were in the Crash Avoidance and Safe Driving categories. These included missing features encouraged by the latest criteria, as well as shortcomings in areas ANCAP has assessed for years.
Of particular concern, the emergency lane-keeping system failed to intervene in road-edge scenarios. This function is intended to help prevent a vehicle unintentionally leaving the road and has been encouraged through ANCAP’s assessment criteria since 2018.
The Sealion 5 also lacks child presence detection, which ANCAP has assessed since 2023.
Other omissions include a seatbelt misuse alert, occupant stature classification and low-speed pedal-misapplication protection. These systems respectively warn when a belt is worn incorrectly, identify occupant size to help restraints respond appropriately, and suppress power if the accelerator is mistakenly pressed when a pedestrian is ahead.
Several of these features are fitted to the M9 and other current BYD models.
The Sealion 5 offers post-crash measures including battery thermal management, multi-collision braking and occupant escape options, but it does not have eCall functionality.
“BYD has been, and continues to be, proactive in bringing forward models for ANCAP testing,” said ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg. “However, the Sealion 5 was a model the brand hadn’t actively pursued for testing, and was subsequently selected by ANCAP to ensure consumers have a clear picture of its safety performance.”
M9 scores strongly, with child-seat caveat
The M9 people mover, which is coming to NZ soon, performed well across a broader range of assessments, with standard stature classification, child presence detection and driver distraction monitoring all returning good results.
Its autonomous emergency braking and lane departure prevention systems also performed well across many scenarios.
Physical crash testing recorded low occupant injury risk in almost all areas. Whiplash protection was rated good in the first and second rows, but marginal in the third.
For families, there is an important qualification around child-seat fitment. The M9 has top-tether anchorages in the second row and at the left outboard position in the third row. However, many of the child restraints ANCAP assessed could not be correctly installed in that third-row position.
The people mover achieved a full 100 per cent in the Post-Crash category. It met requirements covering emergency information, battery voltage isolation, fire-risk management and accessible internal and external door releases. It also includes eCall.
The contrasting results underline the importance of checking the rating and detailed assessment of an individual model, even when the brand has a strong safety record.
