• Vehicle ratings
• Star ratings
• Fuel economy
• Driver safety
• Others’ safety
• CO₂ emissions
• Pollutants
• Vehicle safety
• Sources of information

• Features and tips
• Features to look for
• Six things to know
• Frequently asked questions
• Top five models

Others’ safety

Your vehicle may offer you some protection in a crash – but how seriously is it likely to harm another road user such as a pedestrian, a cyclist, a motorcyclist or the driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash? For example, the crash statistics studied by Monash University indicate that 4WDs are more likely to cause more serious injuries to other drivers while small cars are less likely to inflict damage on the other party in a crash.

The ratings are based on what happened to pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and the driver of the other car in a collision. The better a vehicle is rated for impact on other road users, the more likely they will escape serious injury or death in a crash with that vehicle.

Vehicles are assigned a star rating to identify the best performers (those with the most stars, awarded to the vehicles that are least likely to harm others), the worst performers, and average performers.

See the Vehicle safety page to read more about safety features and find out how safety ratings are calculated.