Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. If you’re in the market for a new car, there is often little price variation between 3-star and 5-star cars.

Under the Australian Design Rules, if a new vehicle is to be sold in Australia it must meet minimum safety standards. However, there is a significant gap between this minimum standard and the standard required by ANCAP for a vehicle to receive a 4 or 5-star safety rating.

Yes, the RAC will continue to provide these services to members, regardless of ANCAP ratings. The campaign is about encouraging WA drivers to buy safer new cars. We accept that there are people who will choose to purchase cars that do not have a 4 or 5-star rating, so we are committed to helping them with the upkeep of their car.

The star rating is based on an assessment of a combination of passive crash protection, active crash avoidance and post-crash safety.

Most popular new cars on the Australian market are ANCAP rated.

2012 and beyond manufactured cars are those that were manufactured in 2012 and successive years e.g. 2013, 2014, 2015 etc.

ANCAP is the Australasian New Car Assessment Program and has been scientifically crash-testing vehicles since 1993.

The change took effect on 23 October 2012 and is ongoing.

Visit the ANCAP website.

These cars are rated by ANCAP, which use a range of tests that simulate how cars are likely to perform in a crash and the likely injuries a driver and passengers may receive in a crash. The ANCAP test results have shown 4 and 5-star cars offer greater protection in the event of a crash than 1, 2 or 3-star ANCAP rated vehicles.

Please be assured that we will continue to honour our commitment to existing finance contracts and insurance policies. This includes 2012 manufactured cars.