From Zero to Three Stars: MG 5’s Safety Turnaround Explained

The MG 5 has taken a noticeable step forward in vehicle safety, now earning a three-star safety rating from Australasia’s independent safety authority, ANCAP. This upgrade follows several important improvements made to vehicles produced from November 2024 onward.

Originally introduced in August 2023, the MG 5 received a zero-star safety score due to major gaps in both crash protection and active safety features. That version lacked seatbelt pre-tensioners, lane assist systems, and blind spot monitoring, and its autonomous emergency braking was underwhelming. Clearly, there was a lot of work to do.

Thankfully, MG listened. The revised model now includes seatbelt pre-tensioners in both the front and rear outboard seats, a full suite of collision avoidance tech, and seatbelt reminders for every seat. ANCAP then conducted fresh tests on this updated version, which included frontal crashes, whiplash assessments, pedestrian impact tests, and on-track collision avoidance evaluations.

The results speak for themselves. Adult occupant protection jumped to 62 percent, child protection rose to 68 percent, pedestrian safety climbed to 65 percent, and safety assist shot up to 59 percent. These are meaningful improvements, especially in front crash protection where the car now offers Good protection in key areas like the driver’s chest and neck.

However, there is still work to be done. A central airbag is still not included, and emergency lane keeping performance remains Marginal. While MG has made solid progress, it still trails behind some rivals in overall safety.