New electric ute dinged for lacking advertised safety features

Independent safety authority ANCAP is warning owners and prospective buyers of the KGM Musso EV electric ute that it doesn’t have the full complement of airbags it had been advertised as having.

Launched locally in November 2025, the KGM Musso EV was advertised as coming standard with eight airbags: dual front, front-side and curtain airbags, plus centre (aka driver’s far-side) and driver’s knee airbags.

However, ANCAP has warned the latter two airbags are absent from the approximately 306 Musso EVs delivered locally thus far.

KGM Australia updated its website and other marketing material ahead of August to confirm there are only six airbags on locally delivered Musso EVs.

“The specification difference was observed following ANCAP’s independent procurement of test vehicles and conduct of the initial destructive crash test," said ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg in a statement.

"During the crash test, there was no centre airbag deployment. Upon post-crash inspection, ANCAP found that a centre airbag was not fitted to the test vehicle.

“A review of the vehicle specification materials alongside the physical vehicles confirmed that there was a discrepancy. This discrepancy applied to both the centre airbag and driver knee airbag.

“KGM Australia has moved quickly to amend its marketing materials, and ANCAP encourages KGM to deliver a production change that would see centre and driver knee airbags fitted to Australian-supplied vehicles.”

ANCAP has advised customers with concerns to contact KGM Australia or their local KGM dealer.

KGM Australia hasn't confirmed if the centre airbag and driver’s knee airbag will be added in a future model year update.

"KGM Australia is working closely with KGM headquarters in Korea to review the specification of future Musso EV models, including opportunities for future product enhancements," a KGM Australia spokesperson said in a statement.

The Korean-market Musso EV is advertised as having eight airbags.

A centre airbag, referred to by KGM as a “front row far-side” or “front seat centre airbag”, is positioned at the front of the cabin to prevent injuries from a driver and front passenger striking each other in a side impact collision.

A driver’s knee airbag, as its name suggests, is housed in the lower part of the dashboard beneath the steering column and helps reduce occupant movement and loading during a crash.

KGM has confirmed it's not possible for these airbags to be retrofitted to existing model year 2026 (MY26) Musso EVs.

"KGM Australia has identified an error in published product information relating to the MY26 Musso EV," the company said in a statement.

"Some materials incorrectly described the vehicle as being equipped with eight airbags, including a driver SRS knee airbag and front seat centre airbag. The correct Australian specification is six airbags. The vehicle has always been manufactured in this six-airbag configuration.

"Once the discrepancy was confirmed, KGM Australia took immediate steps to update affected marketing and specification materials, so they accurately reflect the specification of Australian-delivered vehicles.

"The Musso EV remains compliant with Vehicle Type Approval. KGM Australia is finalising a coordinated customer communication and redress approach and will communicate directly with affected customers.

"KGM Australia takes the accuracy of information provided to customers seriously and is reviewing the circumstances that led to the error.

"Customers with questions or concerns can contact KGM Australia or their authorised KGM dealer."

When asked whether there would be any compensation for existing Musso EV owners, a company spokesperson said, "Our dealers have been requested to refer any customer requests for a remedy or other assistance to KGM Australia for review.

"KGM Australia is reviewing the matter and that further information will be provided as soon as possible."

ANCAP acquired Musso EV utes for testing, rather than having these supplied by KGM.

The cost of ANCAP testing can either be fully funded by the organisation itself, shared with an automaker, or fully funded by an automaker. In some instances, ANCAP has gone to the expense of acquiring vehicles for testing which are missing what it regards as crucial safety features – examples include the Mahindra Scorpio and MG 5, both of which ANCAP gave zero-star ratings.

It's unclear at this stage, however, what score it'll award the Musso EV.

No KGM vehicles currently have a safety rating from ANCAP. The current diesel-powered Musso ute (unrelated to the Musso EV) and Rexton large SUV have never been tested, while the Korando’s five-star rating from 2019 has expired.

By testing the Musso EV locally, ANCAP can supply data to sister authority Euro NCAP – with which it has harmonised protocols – and therefore the electric ute can receive a safety rating in Europe, where it's also sold, without needing to be subjected to another full round of tests.

Should the Musso EV receive a disappointing crash-test rating, KGM may seek to resubmit the updated model for testing, as MG did with its MG 5, which subsequently was upgraded to a three-star rating.

“There’s a lot of consideration that goes into which vehicles we would actually choose to work with a manufacturer on, and which vehicles we say to them you really should be funding this yourself because if you put this forward, you’re going to get a five-star rating and you want to sell it to fleets, that’s not what our money is really for,” ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg told CarExpert in 2023.

“There’s a strong focus for us on market coverage and obviously testing high-volume sellers gets us more market coverage, but there’s a balance as well.

“Sometimes there are vehicles that aren’t necessarily going to be best sellers but they’re particularly concerning because of the safety features that may not be present, or there may be concerns about how those features or how the structure of the vehicle might perform.

“So it’s always a balance, we’re weighing up all of those factors. What’s the segment that it’s in? How have other vehicles performed in that segment?”

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