The Mitsubishi Outlander has held onto its five-star ANCAP safety rating after being re-tested against tougher criteria.
The latest assessment applied more demanding crash tests and higher scoring thresholds to reflect advances in vehicle safety. Thanks to a series of upgrades, the Outlander passed with flying colours.
Safety Upgrades in 2025 Models
The ZM series Mitsubishi Outlander first achieved a five-star rating in 2022. Updated versions, arriving in 2025, include new safety technologies designed to protect both drivers and passengers.
Petrol models built from April 2025 and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants built from July 2025 will feature:
- Improved restraints and centre airbag effectiveness
- Stronger whiplash protection
- A direct driver monitoring system
- Expanded autonomous emergency braking (AEB), including turning and motorcycle detection
- Broader lane support functions
These updates helped the Outlander meet ANCAP’s higher safety standards.
Importance of Reassessment
ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, Carla Hoorweg, said that re-testing is key to making sure vehicles keep up with safety advances.
“ANCAP’s test and scoring protocols are intentionally updated every few years to recognise the safety advancements manufacturers are bringing to market, and to encourage ongoing improvement,” she explained.
“Think of smartphones or computers. With each new version, consumers expect better performance and added features. Vehicles are no different – safety should continually evolve, and these reassessments demonstrate manufacturers’ commitment to ongoing safety improvements.”
The reassessment pathway has been in place since 2018. It is available to any carmaker that delivers safety-relevant changes to its vehicles. It can also be applied if a model loses important features that reduce safety.
Other cars to undergo reassessment include the Toyota Hilux, Volkswagen Polo, Volkswagen Golf, Isuzu D-Max, MG3, and MG5.
“These reassessments confirm that the Toyota HiAce and Mitsubishi Outlander remain some of the safest fleet and family models on the market, five stars then, five stars now, despite tougher tests,” Ms Hoorweg added.
The full safety report for the Mitsubishi Outlander can be found here.
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