ANCAP is studying ‘monster ute’ crash avoidance technology to set a national safety benchmark as more of these vehicles take to the roads.
A vehicle safety program, ANCAP SAFETY has just completed its first safety comparison for large utes which gave the updated Ford F-1501 the highest score (81%) and a platinum safety grading.
Second was the RAM 1500 scored 70% and a gold grading while Toyota’s LandCruiser 79 Series3 and Tundra4 were both graded silver.
WATCH THE VIDEO: Watch the tests and hear from Carla Hoorweg.
ANCAP noted that the LandCruiser outshone the Tundra stablemate with a score of 55% to 50% respectively.
The Chevrolet Silverado earned a safety grading of bronze (27%).
“Larger vehicles pose a bigger threat to other road users than passenger cars,” ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg says.
“The best way to reduce the potential risk of fatalities and serious injuries from large vehicles is to make sure they do the best possible job at avoiding a crash.”
ANCAP says more than 22,500 large utes were sold in Australia in 2024.
Sales of the Silverado, Ford F-150, RAM Trucks and Tundra rose 270% since 2019 while greater popularity and manufacturer supply saw market share rise from 5.9% to 9.4% since 2019.
Excluding the Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series, the market share of large utes more than tripled since 2019 (from 1.4% to 4.4%), ANCAP says.
Hoorweg believes data from the comparison will allow them to establish a benchmark in safety standards for large utes that can help vehicle manufacturers.
“There is community concern over the size of pickups when they are driving in suburban streets, around schools, and in built-up areas,” Hoorweg notes.
“We have applied international best practice in safety testing to this segment to make sure there is an incentive for manufacturers to improve crash avoidance technology.”
ANCAP says it set its standard for the program well above regulation, and these vehicles have proven themselves with their advanced safety technology.
“Performance did vary but these results show there is a strong base to build from, and clear opportunity to achieve the performance levels seen in passenger vehicles,” Hoorweg says.
These initial comparisons will serve as the benchmark for testing of a wider range of large utes from next year. Future tests could cover physical crash protection.
ANCAP says that in United States, fatal pedestrian crashes involving utes (or pickups) are four times more likely during a turn than those involving cars, while vehicles with bonnet heights above one metre are 45% more likely to cause pedestrian deaths.
WHO IS ANCAP?
The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP SAFETY) is Australia and New Zealand’s independent voice on vehicle safety. They crash test cars and carry out on-track and on-road performance assessments on safety features and technologies then publish a simple star rating or grading to indicate relative safety performance.
For more than 30 years, ANCAP tested and rated the safety of passenger cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles like vans and utes.
TESTED VEHICLES
The vehicles tested by ANCAP were the Ford F-150 Platinum and Lariat (MY24), RAM 1500 Limited (MY25), Toyota LC79 single and double cab variants (September 2022 build), Toyota Tundra Limited and Platinum variants (October 2023 build) and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ and ZR2 variants (February 2025 build).
