Safest cars in the Philippines according to the ASEAN NCAP

Safety should be a priority when you consider buying a new vehicle. As such knowing critical information such as its crash safety rating could come in handy when deciding on which vehicle to buy. With that said we have created a list of the safest cars being sold in the Philippines today based on their ASEAN New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) crash test ratings.

For a vehicle to make it onto the list, it must have an ASEAN NCAP from 2017 or newer. This is to ensure that the vehicles mentioned in the list fit with the latest testing protocols with the company. The vehicle must also get a 5-star rating from the organization. If a vehicle is still on sale in the Philippines but does not come with an up-to-date crash test rating then it will not be considered on the list. The list is also alphabetically arranged by order of the manufacturer as there are certain automakers that have multiple entries.

Starting off with Honda, as this manufacturer has two vehicles that have made it onto the list. The first of which is the Honda CR-V which was last tested in 2017, and the Honda City sedan which was tested in 2020.

Honda CR-V

The Japanese automaker’s popular crossover was able to get a 5-star safety rating back in 2017. The Honda CR-V scored well and was able to garner a total score of 88.80/100. It was able to get a weighted score of 47.25 when it comes to Adult Occupant Protection (AOP), while it was able to get a score of 22.84 for the Child Occupant Protection (COP)category. The crossover was able to earn its high score thanks to its standard safety features along with the protection that its multiple airbags have to offer. The addition of Honda Sensing technology to the vehicle also had a big part to play as it helped elevate the score of the crossover compared to its predecessor.

Honda City

Like its crossover brother, the Honda City sedan was also able to get a 5-star safety rating. It scored well when it came to the AOP and COP categories with it getting a 44.83 and a 22.82 respectively. The sedan was able to get this high safety rating thanks to its assortment of standard safety features which include its four airbags along with its other safety technologies such as a seatbelt reminder and stability control program. The Honda City was able to get a total score of 86.54 from the ASEAN NCAP.

Up next is Hyundai. While the South Korean automaker has many vehicles to offer in the Philippines not all of its locally available lineup has been tested by the ASEAN NCAP.

Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid

One of the few vehicles that have been tested by the ASEAN NCAP from the South Korean automaker is the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid. The hatchback was able to get an AOP score of 46.34 and a COP score of 22.48. The Ioniq hybrid was able to score this high thanks to its safety features meeting the requirements of the ASEAN NCAP and being standard for all models except for the blind spot monitoring system that is found in other markets. In total, the Ioniq was able to get a score of 91.98 points, making it one of the highest so far on this list. 

Another Japanese automaker to make it onto the list is Isuzu. It has two entries with similar crash test results. It is important to note that the crash test scoring of the Isuzu mu-X was based on the scoring of the D-MAX as both share the same safety features and the same chassis.

 Isuzu D-MAX

The Isuzu D-MAX is one of the safest pickup trucks you can buy on the market today. It comes with impressive scores from the ASEAN NCAP that are highlighted by the addition of new safety features on the current model. It was able to get a weighted score of 42.72 in the AOP category and a score of 21.83 in the COP category. All in all, the Japanese pickup truck was able to get a total score of 86.13

Isuzu mu-X

While the Isuzu mu-X has the same safety features as its pickup truck brother, the 7-seater diesel SUV was able to get a higher score. It scored lower in the AOP category compared to its pickup truck counterpart as it only got 42.17 but it did make up for it in the COP category with a score of 22.64. Thanks to its better COP score and its better safety assist scores, the SUV was able to get a total score of 86.61 besting its D-MAX brother.

Mitsubishi also makes it onto this list thanks to Mitsubishi Outlander EV which was recently made available.

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

This plug-in hybrid electric vehicle makes it onto the list thanks to a great number of standard safety features. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV was able to get a score of 45.45 in the AOP and 21.33 in the COP categories. The ASEAN NCAP has made special mention of its blind spot technology that goes in line with the organization’s aspiration of reducing collisions with motorcycles on the road. The hybrid crossover was able to get a total score of 86.75 granting it a 5-star rating.

While MG has scored well in terms of safety in its home country, the automaker has yet to be tested in the ASEAN region. Thankfully the NCAP has tested one of its vehicles, and it is the brand’s popular crossover the ZS.

MG ZS

The MG ZS, one of the brand’s more popular crossover offerings in the country has finally been tested by the ASEAN NCAP. It has received great scores in the AOP and COP categories, with the crossover getting 44.82 and 20.90 respectively. This is reflected in the standard safety equipment that it has such as a minimum of two airbags, ABS, an electronic stability control, and a seatbelt reminder system. Thanks to these features and more the MG ZS was able to get a total score of 81.00.

Another Japanese to make it onto the list is the Nissan with its Terra SUV. While the pickup version has been tested before, its testing was done prior to the 2017 to 2020 change in testing protocol.

Nissan Terra

The Nissan Terra is the 8th model that has undergone ASEAN NCAP assessment from the Japanese brand. The 7-seater turbo diesel SUV scored well in the AOP and COP garnering 44.70 and 20.79 respectively. Something to note is that the Terra did well when it came to the dynamic frontal and side crash test. This is why was able to score high in AOP category. Thanks to its wide range of standard features which also include the Nissan Intelligent Mobility safety suite the SUV was able to get a final score of 83.17 granting it a 5-star rating.

Last but not least on this list is Toyota. This manufacture has the distinction of being the only one with multiple vehicles that have all achieved 5-star ratings from the ASEAN NCAP. Its entries cover almost all of the vehicle body types available in the market ranging from a subcompact sedan all the way to a 7-seater SUV.

Toyota Corolla Altis

First on the list of the many entries from the Japanese automaker is the Toyota Corolla Altis. The humble sedan was tested back in 2019 and was able to get a score of 46.82 for the AOP and 22.35 for the COP. It was able to get a total score of 88.46 partly thanks to the addition of a blind spot monitoring system and the Toyota Safety Sense system. 

Toyota Corolla Cross

The Toyota Corolla Cross, the crossover sibling of the Toyota Corolla Altis was also able to get a 5-star rating. While these two vehicles look nothing alike, they do share the same TNGA platform is why they both get similarly high safety ratings. The crossover was able to get a score of 45.85 in the AOP category and 22.63 in the COP category. While the vehicle does better in child protection, it is outclassed by its sedan counterpart when it comes to adult protection. The Corolla Cross was able to get a total score of 88.61, marginally beating its sedan brother.

Toyota Fortuner

The only ladder on frame 7-seater turbo diesel SUV to make it onto the list is the Toyota Fortuner. Its score was based on the testing done to the Toyota Hilux with a few considerations made due to the differences in their body types. The SUV was able to get a weighted score of 47.27 in the AOP and 22.13 in the COP categories respectively. As one of the only SUVs on this list, it was able to get a total score of 87.46 making it one of the safest SUVs you can buy on the market today. 

Toyota Hilux 

As the basis for the Toyota Fortuner’s ASEAN NCAP score, the Toyota Hilux also scores well in this regard. The Japanese pickup truck was able to get an AOP score of 45.74, doing a little bit lower than its SUV counterpart, and was able to get 22.47 for the COP, doing better than its Fortuner brother. In total, the Hilux was able to get a score of 83.42 a little bit lower than its SUV stablemate. Overall still a great score as it gets a 5-star rating. 

Toyota Innova

As the final part of the IMV platform trio, the Toyota Innova also shares the same 5-star rating as its Fortuner and Hilux brothers. In the AOP category, it scores well with a 45.90 getting a better rating than its pickup truck brother. In the COP category, the MPV was able to get a score of 21.51. This puts it at a slight disadvantage over its Fortuner and Hilux counterparts as they have higher scores. With that said, the Innova comes with a total score of 82.69 which is slightly lower than its IMV brethren. 

Toyota Rush

Another SUV to make onto this list is the Toyota Rush. While it may not have the same power as its bigger brother the Fortuner it still comes out with an impressive 5-star rating. In the AOP category, it was able to score 43.25 while in the COP category it was able to get 21.33. The ASEAN NCAP notes that in its report the Rush was able to get a better score than before thanks to its improved crashworthiness structure. Thanks to this, the SUV was able to get a total score of 85.42 granting it a 5-star safety rating. 

Toyota Vios

Rounding off the offerings from the Japanese automaker that have scored well in the ASEAN NCAP is the Toyota Vios. This subcompact sedan was able to get a score of 44.70 and 21.66 in the AOP and COP categories respectively. The Vios was assessed back in 2017, however, it only got a 4-star rating. Toyota has since improved on its subcompact sedan giving it 7-airbags as standard for select models increasing its overall safety rating. Due to these changes made by the Japanese brand, the Vios now has a total score of 81.88 granting it a 5-star rating.