The BYD Sealion 5 has received a three-star safety rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), making it the first BYD model tested by ANCAP to miss out on a five-star safety rating.
The Sealion 5 was evaluated under ANCAP’s latest testing protocols, which put more emphasis on active safety software, driver assist systems, and occupant sensing technology. Based on ANCAP’s safety test, the BYD Sealion 5 faced challenges in two categories: Safe Driving and Crash Avoidance. It scored 48 percent in the Safe Driving category and 51 percent in Crash Avoidance.
Under the Safe Driving category, ANCAP noted that the BYD Sealion 5 is not able to detect and classify the stature of occupants in front-seat positions, monitor seatbelt misuse, or detect a front-seat passenger sitting ‘out-of-position’. A child presence detection system is also not available in the Sealion 5, and it was unable to detect phone use or intervene for an unresponsive driver.
It is also noted that the Sealion 5’s headlight adjustment, interior lights, and climate control fan adjustment rely on interaction with the vehicle’s central screen interface and did not meet ANCAP requirements. These factors are the reason why the Sealion 5 got a 48 percent rating in ANCAP’s Safe Driving category.
Meanwhile, the BYD Sealion 5 had also encountered challenges in ANCAP’s Crash Avoidance category. The reason is that the Sealion 5’s emergency lane-keeping system failed to intervene during critical road-edge scenarios. ANCAP stated that the Sealion 5’s lane support system demonstrated limited performance in preventing lane departures across the assessed scenarios. ANCAP added that the Sealion 5 had limited ability to avoid collisions through autonomous emergency braking (AEB) in low-speed situations.
The BYD Sealion 5, on the other hand, did perform notably well when it comes to physical impact tests. It recorded a 79 percent score for Crash Protection and 74 percent for Post-Crash. In the frontal offset test, the level of protection provided for child occupants seated in the second row was good. ANCAP added that the BYD Sealion 5 received maximum scores for adult and child occupant protection in the side impact test.
As a plug-in hybrid, the Sealion 5 demonstrated effective post-crash fire risk management, with appropriate battery voltage isolation in three of four destructive crash tests, as noted by ANCAP.
Autocar’s Take
The BYD Sealion 5 is the only BYD that has not received a 5-star ANCAP safety rating. But take note that the Sealion 5 was tested under the updated ANCAP testing protocols, which could explain why the Sealion 5 was only able to get a 3-star rating. In a report by Car Expert, an Australian publication, BYD reportedly said that the “Sealion 5 is a safe vehicle that complies with all Australian Design Rules and regulatory safety standards. ANCAP introduced an updated testing protocol in 2026, with strengthened assessment criteria compared to the 2023-2025 protocol.”
