Lexus New Zealand’s first dedicated battery electric model, RZ, is the first vehicle to score a maximum five stars against the recently updated Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) protocols, the strictest safety testing ever seen in Australia and New Zealand.
While NCAP and ANCAP safety ratings themselves are nothing new, the testing protocol does need to move in step with advancing vehicle technology for the star rating system to remain relevant. For 2023 that regime has become even more rigorous, making the new Lexus RZ 5-star rating all the more relevant and impressive in today’s safety-conscious market. What’s more the vehicle delivered outstanding results surpassing the required thresholds for a five-star rating.
The Lexus RZ 450e scored 87% (Exceeding 80% threshold) for Adult Occupant Protection, 89% (Exceeding 80% threshold) for Child Occupant Protection, 84% (Exceeding 70% threshold) for Vulnerable Road User Protection and 84% (Exceeding 70% threshold) for Safety Assist.
ANCAP’s 2023-2025 testing criteria has undergone a significant overhaul, expanding the scope of safety aspects and test scenarios assessed, and increasing test score benchmarks.
Key changes include testing a vehicle's capacity for collision avoidance with motorcycles, improved child and pedestrian protection, heightened attention to vehicle-to-vehicle crash compatibility, evaluating anti-dooring safeguards to improve cyclist safety, and driver monitoring systems that include eye movement analysis for distraction, fatigue, and responsiveness.
Lexus New Zealand Vice President, Andrew Davis, says the five-star rating is an excellent achievement and reaffirms the brand’s commitment to passenger and road user safety.
“These impressive results show just how committed Lexus is to adopting new powertrain technologies while remaining relentlessly focused on in car technology and safety for our customers,” he says.
“Lexus RZ is not only a symbol of luxury and innovation but a benchmark for safety standards in the industry and all Lexus models,” he says.
“We’re proud to consistently lead the way in delivering vehicles that come equipped with advanced safety features as a standard.”
Introduced in New Zealand in April 2023, the ANCAP safety rating applies to all variants of the Lexus RZ.
The vehicle features a range of safety measures that includes frontal, side, and curtain airbags, as well as a knee airbag for the front seats. Additionally, a centre airbag, providing added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes, is standard across all variants.
The Lexus RZ boasts the latest Lexus Safety System+ package, an integrated suite of advanced safety technologies designed to support driver awareness, decision-making and vehicle operation over a wide range of speeds and conditions. The Lexus Safety System+ includes Pre-Collision system, Lane Departure Alert, 9-Airbag System, Blind Spot Monitor, Lane Tracing Assist, Driver Monitor and more.
The Lexus RZ's autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system also demonstrated outstanding performance in detecting and reacting to vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, performing exceptionally well in various test scenarios.
