ANCAP Awards BMW iX 5-Star Safety Rating

BMW’s iX has achieved an ANCAP five-star safety rating judged against the organisation’s latest 2020-2022 rating criteria.

According to ANCAP, the electric BMW iX also scored highly across the range of occupant protection and collision avoidance assessment areas. The model achieved good results in the side impact test and more severe oblique pole test, as well as the AEB car-to-car and vulnerable road user scenarios, with collisions avoided or mitigated in almost all scenarios across a range of speeds. However, ANCAP said the iX presents a higher risk to the occupants of an oncoming vehicle in the frontal offset (MPDB) test, and the maximum penalty was applied here.

The vehicle performed well in the far side impact tests, with full points awarded for the prevention of excursion (movement towards the other side of the vehicle) in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pole scenarios. In the assessment of child occupant protection, the iX scored full points in the MPDB and side impact tests.

ANCAP said the iX is fitted with an active bonnet designed to lift, providing greater clearance from stiff components in the engine bay if a pedestrian is struck. However, protection offered to the pelvis of a pedestrian was poor.

“ANCAP has now rated 19 fully-electric vehicles and the BMW iX is the second fully-electric vehicle in the medium SUV segment to be tested under ANCAP’s 2020-2022 protocols – our most stringent criteria to date,” said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg.

“BMW have again placed safety as a high priority in their vehicle design and specifications, and the iX results show BMW aren’t willing to compromise on safety for an alternative-powered vehicle.”