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It’s a question many people ask: Are the cheapest seven-seater SUVs safe?
To answer that, we refered to data from independent crash-safety authorities like the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) and its European affiliate Euro NCAP.
Besides looking for the overall maximum five-star safety rating, for our list we considered the age of the vehicle, when it was tested and the Adult Occupant and Child Occupant scores, versus their official pricing, to come up with the seven-seater SUVs below.
5-star ANCAP
Though released in Australia in 2024, this vehicle dates back to 2017, and has been substantially restyled and updated along the way, most recently in 2024. Hence the low pricing and high scores.
As the elongated version of the popular Tiggo 7 mid-sized SUV, the very highly-equipped Tiggo 8 features seven seats in the usual 2+3+2 front-to-rear configuration (as per all the vehicles here).
Tested last year, the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engined large SUV from China performed well, achieving its best rating for Child Occupant Protection with 86 per cent, then 82 per cent for both Adult OP and Safety Assist technologies that includes Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) items like autonomous emergency braking (AEB), and then 80 per cent for Vulnerable Road Users (VRU).
Compellingly, there is also the Super Hybrid plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) model, starting from $45,990 drive-away.
5-star ANCAP
The second-generation X-Trail to offer a seven-seater option since 2014, the latest version arrived in 2022 using a platform and powertrain shared with the Mitsubishi Outlander – a 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine.
Tested in 2021, when meeting the criteria was not as strict as it is today, the Nissan aced the ANCAP ratings, with Safety Assist managing a 97 per cent score, Adult OP 91 per cent and Child OP 90 per cent. However, poor old VRU (measuring pedestrians and cyclists) only rated a 74 per cent mark.
Sadly, for economy and performance-minded buyers, the excellent X-Trail e-Power hybrid is not available as a seven-seater in Australia.
5-star ANCAP
Launched back in 2022, the current, fourth-generation Outlander from Japan is based on the X-Trail’s platform, and received a number of updates last year, prompting a retest by ANCAP.
Slightly larger than the Nissan but smaller than the Chery, the petrol-engined Mitsubishi mid-sized SUV performed adequately well, scoring 85 per cent and 84 per cent for Adult OP and Child OP respectively, but lagged behind others with a 79 per cent VRU rating and just 70 per cent for Safety Assist.
Forget about the PHEV version making this list though, as it is only available in high-spec Aspire guise from $66,790 before on-road costs.
5-star ANCAP
Launched in China in 2023 and arriving in Australia two years later (when it was tested), the MG QS is a dedicated three-row large SUV with plenty of features. It is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine.
Tested in 2025, the MG managed its best rating for Adult OP with an 88 per cent score, followed by Child OP at 86 per cent, while Safety Assist and VRU sat at 80 per cent and 76 per cent respectively.
There is also an all-wheel drive Essence luxury grade for an extra $4000. Both QS’ come with plenty of standard features for the money.
5-star ANCAP
Here’s an unexpected inexpensive entrant from Germany.
Larger than the Tiguan Allspace it replaced in 2025, the Tayron is powered by a 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo engine and comes in at just under $50,000 drive-away.
Tested last year, the VW large SUV performed remarkably consistently, managing an 87 per cent score apiece for Child OP and Adult OP, 85 per cent for Safety Assist and 83 per cent for VRU.
While not as highly equipped as its Chinese alternatives here, the Tayron does mirror its Japanese opponents by having a degree of Australian road tuning.
