RAC welcomes Australia’s first five-star ute

20 October 2009

The RAC has backed a new five-star crash test rating for the Holden Commodore ute, contrasting strongly with the poor ratings recently attributed to imported Chinese and Malaysian utes.

The Commodore ute’s five-star rating, awarded by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), makes it the first such rating for any ute on the Australian market.

The RAC said this was particularly good news for the nation’s tradespeople and those in regional areas, where utes are typically the vehicle of choice.

“The five-star Holden Commodore ute comes after a Mercedes commercial van was awarded a five-star crash safety rating in August, meaning the two primary light commercial categories now have five-star vehicles,” RAC Head of Member Advocacy Matt Brown said.

Mr Brown said that while commercial vehicles had lagged behind passenger cars in the past, this was no longer the case.

“Most commercial vehicles now have a minimum three or four star safety rating, and the results for the Commodore ute are further proof that manufacturers are finally starting to respond to buyers demanding safer work vehicles,” Mr Brown said.

The RAC last month warned new vehicle buyers against purchasing the Chinese and Malaysian brands of imported utes.

The Chinese-made Great Wall ute tested received just two stars out of a possible five, while the Malaysian-built Proton Jumbuck ute only rated a single star.

The Commodore ute’s five-star rating applies to all variants in the range built for the 2010 year from September 2009.

ANCAP said the Commodore ute’s passenger compartment held its shape well in the crash tests, providing good airbag protection for the driver and passenger and no knee hazards for the driver.

However, like its sedan sibling, the Commodore ute did rate poorly in terms of pedestrian safety, getting just one star out of five. This compares to the Ford Falcon ute, which has a two-star pedestrian impact rating.

Download the release (pdf)