The Toyota Yaris Cross small SUV has aced its ANCAP crash test, scoring five stars against the latest 2021 protocols.

    The rating applies to all models built since the Yaris Cross launched in November last year and is based on a right-hand drive car crashed in Australia.

    The high-riding city hatch was awarded 86 per cent in the area of adult occupant protection, 86 per cent for child occupant protection, 78 per cent for vulnerable road-user protection, and 82 per cent for its safety assist features.

    The Yaris Cross’s rating should come as no surprise since its smaller sibling, the Yaris, achieved five stars as published in September 2020. More on that here.

    The Yaris Cross range comes with front, front-side, curtain, and centre airbags. Active safety features include autonomous emergency braking (car-to-car, vulnerable road users and junction assist), active lane-keep assist, and adaptive cruise control.

    Higher grades add blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

    “The Yaris Cross achieved maximum points for its protection of adult occupants in the side impact, oblique pole and whiplash tests,” said ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg.

    “Occupant-to-occupant protection was also good, with the Yaris Cross fitted as standard with dual centre airbags between the front seats to minimise potential head injury in side impact crashes.”

    “The protection provided by the Yaris Cross to pedestrians, if struck, was good.”

    When touching on active safety, Ms Hoorweg added: “Its ability to actively avoid collisions with pedestrians through its autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system also scored well in forward-travel test scenarios.

    “However the standard AEB system does not react to vulnerable road users in reverse and a nil score for AEB Backover was applied.”

    The Toyota Yaris Cross has become a sales hit, with 5406 sales this year enough to secure 14.6 per cent market share – second-in-class behind the Mazda CX-3.

    MORE: ANCAP ratings, everything you need to know
    MORE: It’s time for smarter ANCAP ratings
    MORE: Toyota Yaris Cross news, reviews and comparisons

    Mike Costello
    Mike Costello is a Senior Contributor at CarExpert.
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