10 Safest Small Cars in Australia in 2025

While the small car segment is celebrated for its user-friendly on-road manners and a small footprint that is great to park in town, safety is a key concern for new-car buyers.

Thankfully, the design, manufacturing and amount of active safety tech that has made its way into small cars means you can rest assured that the best of the bunch are strong performers on the safety front.

Let’s dive in with a quick look at how safety credentials are measured here in Australia and then map out ten of the safest small cars you can buy in 2025.

How to Determine Small Car Safety

To get the most accurate idea possible of a small car’s safety credentials, we’re going to be using data published by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program, otherwise known as ANCAP.

ANCAP puts cars big and small under the test, ramming them into walls, poles and testing out their active safety tech while publishing all the data and awarding vehicles a safety rating between zero and five-stars.

ANCAP updates their testing protocols every three years, meaning a recent five-star safety under the 2023-25 test protocols hold more weight than one secured four or five years ago.

10 of the Safest Small Cars in Australia 2025

Lexus LBX

Lexus’ pint-sized SUV package ticks the all-important boxes of fuel-efficiency and safety thanks to its rock-solid build quality and long list of active safety technologies.

The LBX scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating during its 2024 testing, asserting itself as a quality little SUV that doesn’t disappoint on the safety front.

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Five stars (tested 2024)

• Adult Occupant Protection: 82%

• Child Occupant Protection: 86%

• Vulnerable Road User Protection: 79%

• Safety Assist: 79%

• Warranty: Five-year/unlimited-kilometre

Toyota C-HR

Toyota’s futuristic little SUV package, the C-HR, showcases a bold design language and offers buyers outstanding fuel efficiency thanks to the company’s class-leading hybrid tech.

The C-HR also picks up a long list of active safety technologies which helped it secure a five-star ANCAP safety rating under the latest and toughest test protocols.

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Five-star (tested 2024)

• Adult Occupant Protection: 85%

• Child Occupant Protection: 88%

• Vulnerable Road User Protection: 86%

• Safety Assist: 82%

• Warranty: Five-year/unlimited-kilometre (extends to seven-years when serviced in-network)

Volvo EX30

Volvo is a company synonymous with safety, with its latest battery-electric compact SUV, the EX30 upholding that reputation.

The EX30 secured a five-star ANCAP safety rating after testing in 2024, with a particularly lengthy list of active safety kit helping it score top marks.

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Five-star (tested 2024)

• Adult Occupant Protection: 88%

• Child Occupant Protection: 85%

• Vulnerable Road User Protection: 79%

• Safety Assist: 80%

• Warranty: Five-year/unlimited-kilometre (eight-years for battery)

BYD Dolphin

The BYD Dolphin is one of Australia’s cheapest battery-electric hatchbacks, a feat made more impressive by the fact it’s scored full-marks from ANCAP.

The Dolphin impresses with its energy-efficient electric motor and great on-road manners that make it perfectly suited to the urban jungle, while a five-star ANCAP safety rating under the 2023-2025 test criteria only sweetens the deal.

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Five-star (tested 2024)

• Adult Occupant Protection: 89%

• Child Occupant Protection: 86%

• Vulnerable Road User Protection: 85%

• Safety Assist: 77%

• Warranty: Six-year/150,000km (eight-year/160,000km for battery)

Chery Tiggo 4 Pro

The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro is a pint-sized SUV package that presents buyers with an outstanding value proposition.

With its sharp pricing, long warranty, generous features list and five-star ANCAP safety rating under the latest test criteria, the Tiggo 4 Pro is well-worth a spot on any small SUV shortlist if safety is a key concern.

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Five-star (tested 2023)

• Adult Occupant Protection: 88%

• Child Occupant Protection: 87%

• Vulnerable Road User Protection: 79% 

• Safety Assist: 85%

• Warranty: Seven-year/unlimited-kilometre

Smart #3

After nearly a decade off the market, Smart is back in Australia, with the Smart #3 aiming to capitalise on the popularity of the small SUV segment with its sleek styling and strong safety credentials.

All members of the Smart #3 lineup, including the base model, come packed with a lengthy safety equipment list and come wearing a five-star safety rating under the latest, more stringent test protocols.

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Five-star (tested 2023)

• Adult Occupant Protection: 90%

• Child Occupant Protection: 85%

• Vulnerable Road User Protection: 84%

• Safety Assist: 86%

• Warranty: Five-year/150,000-kilometre

GWM Ora

The GWM Ora provides buyers looking for a relatively affordable, pint-sized battery-electric hatchback with some serious food for thought.

It’s surprisingly spacious for such a small hatch, while the Ora’s energy-efficiency offers decent range figures and sweetens the deal with plenty of active safety tech and a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Five-star (tested 2022)

• Adult Occupant Protection: 92%

• Child Occupant Protection: 84%

• Vulnerable Road User Protection: 74%

• Safety Assist: 93%

• Warranty: Seven-year/unlimited-kilometre (eight-years for battery)

Honda Civic

The latest-generation Honda Civic is a fabulous small car, offering excellent levels of interior space and practicality, smooth on-road manners and the confidence of Honda’s reliably-solid build quality.

The Civic comes wearing a five-star rating and offers buyers no shortage of active safety technologies, making for a great small car with strong safety credentials.

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Five-star (tested 2022)

• Adult Occupant Protection: 89%

• Child Occupant Protection: 89%

• Vulnerable Road User Protection: 82%

• Safety Assist: 83%

• Warranty: Five-year/unlimited-kilometre

MG 4

The MG 4 another small, battery-electric hatchback that ticks many important boxes for buyers, namely with its impressive value, solid energy efficiency figures and the safety equipment bundled in.

The MG 4 range wears a five-star ANCAP safety rating and offers a hefty list of active safety features in base form, though key features like blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alerts and a surround-view camera are reserved for the MG 4 Essence range.

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Five-star (tested 2022)

• Adult Occupant Protection: 83%

• Child Occupant Protection: 86%

• Vulnerable Road User Protection: 75%

• Safety Assist: 81%

• Warranty: Ten-year/250,000-kilometre

Cupra Born

The Cupra Born is one of the most dynamic little electric hatchbacks on the market.

Step inside and it’s clear the Born over-delivers when it comes to space and practicality, while a lengthy equipment list brimming with active safety gear is sure to keep buyers happy.

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Five-star (tested 2022)

• Adult Occupant Protection: 93%

• Child Occupant Protection: 89%

• Vulnerable Road User Protection: 73%

• Safety Assist: 80%

• Warranty: Five-year/unlimited-kilometre (eight-years for battery)

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