MG 5 Three-Star ANCAP Safety Rating: What Queensland Buyers Need to Know

The updated MG 5 carries a three-star ANCAP safety rating under the 2023-2025 assessment criteria. That represents a meaningful step forward from the zero-star rating that applied to MG 5 vehicles built before November 2024, but it is important that buyers understand both what the three-star result means and, critically, which vehicles it applies to.

This three-star rating applies only to MG 5 vehicles built from November 2024 and on sale from June 2025. A separate zero-star ANCAP rating applies to all MG 5 vehicles built between March 2023 and September 2024. Given the original MG 5 was on sale in Australia from August 2023, there is a real possibility that zero-star vehicles remain in dealer stock or private sale listings. Confirming the build date of any MG 5 is essential before purchase. Our team at Barton Motor Group can verify this against the VIN.

Here is what the three-star result means in full detail for Queensland buyers.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) independently crash-tests and rates new vehicles sold in Australia at accredited facilities. Ratings run from zero to five stars. A three-star result indicates the vehicle meets a base threshold of safety performance but falls meaningfully short of the four and five-star results achieved by other vehicles in the MG range and by many competitors in the small car segment.

ANCAP assesses four key categories: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist. The MG 5 returned scores ranging from 59 to 68 per cent across all four categories.

The MG 5 (built from November 2024, on sale from June 2025) achieved the following results under 2023-2025 criteria:

The rating applies to both variants sold in Australia: the MG 5 Vibe (1.5L petrol) and the MG 5 Essence (1.5L turbo). The MG 5 is sold in Australia only and is not available in New Zealand. The rating expires in December 2031.

What Was Tested

The MG 5 was assessed through a frontal offset test at 50 km/h, a full-width frontal test at 50 km/h, a side impact at 60 km/h, an oblique pole test at 32 km/h, far-side impact tests, and whiplash protection assessments.

What the Results Show

Adult occupant protection is the area of greatest concern in the MG 5 result, and buyers considering this vehicle deserve a clear understanding of the findings.

In the frontal offset test, the passenger compartment remained stable. However, the driver recorded marginal protection for the chest, upper legs, and lower legs, with all three areas underperforming. Dashboard structures were identified as a potential source of injury for both the driver and front passenger. The driver's feet received adequate protection, though excessive pedal movement was recorded. Three specific deductions were applied to the driver result: variable contact, concentrated load, and pedal blocking. The front passenger received adequate protection for upper and lower legs, with good results elsewhere.

The vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility penalty was 5.49 points out of a possible 8.00, a significant deduction indicating the MG 5 presents a meaningful risk to occupants of an oncoming vehicle in a frontal collision. This is substantially higher than any other MG model in the current ANCAP series.

In the full-width frontal test, driver protection was good across all critical body areas. For the rear passenger, neck protection was adequate and chest protection was marginal.

The side impact result was the MG 5's strongest individual score, returning maximum points with good protection across all critical body regions. The oblique pole test returned near-maximum points with adequate chest protection and good results elsewhere.

The far-side impact score was just 1.32 out of 4, a low result. The MG 5 does not have a centre airbag, and the far-side impact assessment was assessed as marginal for the vehicle-to-vehicle scenario and adequate for the vehicle-to-pole scenario. Occupant-to-occupant head contact was not assessed due to the absence of the centre airbag.

The rescue and extrication score was 2.50 out of 4. The rescue sheet is available and door opening scored no penalty. No eCall system is fitted (2.00 default awarded). No multi-collision braking system is fitted. Doors passed submergence testing, though window opening functionality was not demonstrated.

What Was Tested

Child occupant protection is assessed through dynamic crash testing using six-year-old and ten-year-old child dummies in frontal offset and side impact scenarios, as well as a practical assessment of how standard Australian child restraints can be installed.

What the Results Show

The MG 5 scored 68 per cent in child occupant protection. The dynamic crash test results are the area of most concern for families.

In the frontal offset test, head protection for both child dummies was rated marginal. Neck and chest protection for the ten-year-old dummy was rated weak. The six-year-old dummy returned marginal neck protection and good chest protection. These are notably poor results in the frontal offset test for child occupants.

In the side impact test, head protection for the six-year-old dummy was weak and adequate for the ten-year-old dummy. Other critical body areas of both dummies were rated good.

The restraint installation assessment returned near-maximum points at 11.62 out of 12. The MG 5 is fitted with ISOFix lower anchorages on both rear outboard seats and top tether anchorages across all rear seating positions. Most assessed child restraint types can be installed in most rear seating positions. One Type A convertible seat in rearward-facing mode and the Type E booster seat could not be correctly installed in the centre rear position. No child presence detection (CPD) system is available.

What Was Tested

Vulnerable road user (VRU) protection covers the physical construction of the vehicle's bonnet and windscreen and the performance of the AEB system in detecting and reacting to pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.

Physical Impact Results

The MG 5 bonnet provided predominantly adequate or marginal head protection to pedestrians, with weak and poor results at the rear of the bonnet, the base of the windscreen, and the stiff windscreen pillars. Pelvis and lower leg protection were good at all test locations. Femur protection was mostly weak, which is a meaningful result given the number of pedestrian incidents that involve lower-body injury.

Autonomous Emergency Braking: Pedestrians, Cyclists, and Motorcyclists

The VRU AEB system operates from 8 km/h to 85 km/h in forward scenarios.

Forward pedestrian AEB performance was rated adequate, with collisions avoided or mitigated in most forward tests, but the system does not react to pedestrians in turning scenarios and these tests were not conducted. The system also does not have AEB Backover capability, meaning it does not detect pedestrians when reversing. Zero points were scored in the backover assessment.

Cyclist AEB performance was also rated adequate, with collisions avoided or mitigated at most test speeds. However, the system does not react to cyclists in turning scenarios and the MG 5 does not provide any cyclist dooring warning.

Motorcyclist forward AEB performance in straight-ahead scenarios was rated good. However, motorcyclist AEB in turning scenarios was rated poor, meaning the system is largely ineffective at detecting motorcyclists turning across the vehicle's path. Lane support system performance in car-to-motorcyclist scenarios was rated adequate.

What Was Tested

Safety Assist evaluates the active safety technology suite: AEB for car-to-car scenarios, lane support, speed assistance, seat belt reminders, and driver monitoring.

Car-to-Car AEB

The MG 5 AEB system operates from 8 km/h to 150 km/h in car-to-car scenarios. Standard car-to-car rear performance was good across all four test types. AEB Crossing performance was good. However, AEB Junction performance was rated marginal, meaning the system is only partially effective when turning across the path of an oncoming vehicle. AEB Head-On performance was good, earning the full 1.00 point.

Lane Support System

The lane support system operates from 60 to 130 km/h, covering lane keep assist (LKA) and emergency lane keeping (ELK). Lane keep assist was rated good. Emergency lane keeping was rated marginal in car-to-car scenarios, which is the weakest result across all MG models in this ANCAP series.

Speed Assistance, Monitoring, and Features

The MG 5 includes a manual speed limiter as standard. However, no speed sign recognition system is fitted, no intelligent speed limiter, and no intelligent adaptive cruise control. Speed assistance scored only 0.50 out of 3.

There is no driver monitoring system (DMS) of any kind on the MG 5, scoring zero out of 2 in that element. There is also no blind spot monitoring, no cyclist dooring alert, no AEB Backover, and no eCall fitted to any MG 5 variant.

Seat belt reminders with occupancy detection for all seating positions scored the full 1.00 out of 1.

The following safety features are standard across both MG 5 variants sold in Australia:

• Dual frontal airbags (driver and front passenger)
• Side chest-protecting airbags (front and second-row seats)
• Side head-protecting curtain airbags (front and second-row seats)
• Autonomous emergency braking: car-to-car (8-150 km/h), pedestrian (forward, no reverse or turning), cyclist (forward, no turning), and motorcyclist (forward)
• AEB Crossing and Head-On
• Lane keep assist (LKA) and emergency lane keeping (ELK)
• Lane departure warning (LDW)
• Forward collision warning (FCW)
• Manual speed limiter
• Seat belt reminders with occupancy detection (all seating positions)
• ISOFix anchorages (rear outboard seats) and top tether anchorages (all rear positions)
• Rescue sheet for emergency responders

The three-star ANCAP rating applies to the following MG 5 variants built from November 2024 and on sale from June 2025:

• MG 5 Vibe (1.5L petrol, FWD)
• MG 5 Essence (1.5L turbo, FWD)

At Barton's Motor Group, we provide the same level of honest detail for every MG model regardless of its rating. The MG 5 is a three-star vehicle in a range that also includes the five-star MG ZS, MG QS, MG HS, MG 7, and MG4 EV Urban, and the four-star MG 3.

For buyers who need an affordable small sedan and are comfortable with the three-star rating and its specific limitations, the updated MG 5 represents a meaningful improvement over its zero-star predecessor. For buyers who prioritise higher safety ratings, the MG ZS starts at a competitive price point and carries a five-star result.

Our team at Barton's Motor Group is happy to walk you through the differences and help you find the right vehicle for your priorities.

Browse the full MG range and current stock at Bartons.net.au.