ANCAP Will Start Docking Points For ‘Annoying’ ADAS Features

DO you sometimes find the ADAS features in your car to be annoying, intrusive and perhaps somewhat unsafe at times? Well, you aren't alone, and ANCAP wants to combat this too.

The renowned Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) crash-testing organisation is set on tightening its testing criteria next year (2026). In fact, part of it will see the organisation reportedly start docking points for ‘annoying’ ADAS features.

More accurately, ANCAP says it will start examining not only if vehicles are primed with certain safety systems, but it will also scrutinise the effectiveness and annoyance of said system to drivers. This aligns with the organisation’s norm of heightening its standards every three years or so.

No doubt, the apparent disconnect between a five-star-rated vehicle and the real-world experience of drivers has been building momentum as more carmakers introduce new models primed with various ADAS features that customers may find both annoying and unsafe.

One feature set to be scrutinised better is lane-keeping assist. For its pilot programme, ANCAP has assessed four unnamed cars and found "clear room for improvement" in three of which.

One key feature that’s set to be scrutinised better through this is Lane-keeping assist – also known as lane-keep assist or lane-departure prevention. Changes to this system’s assessment under ANCAP are anticipated and should align with increasingly stringent European NCAP protocols.

For this pilot programme’s first stage, ANCAP has reportedly examined four unnamed cars to assess “the sophistication and integration quality of lane support system." From which, initial test results show that there was indeed “clear room for improvement” in three of the four cars sampled.

The best-scoring car recorded a 2.02-degree angle on the wheel at a velocity of 1,26 deg/sec. The same care also demonstrated calm and gradual return to the centre of the lane.

Specifically, ANCAP’s new lane-support system assessment examines vehicle path and position, steering angle and velocity, steering torque, and lateral vehicle acceleration. Parameters such as the system’s smoothness levels and response times are all taken into account too.

In the emergency lane keeping (ELK) steering response test, the positive reference car recorded a 2.02-degree angle on the wheel at a velocity of 1.26 deg/sec. In contrast, the worst-scoring vehicle here charted a 13.57-degree angle at a velocity of 70.7deg/sec, while another had an 11.03-degree angle at an 89.21deg/sec velocity.

Furthermore, a road edge detection test conducted by ANCAP here also saw the positive reference car demonstrate calm and gradual return to the centre of the lane whereas the worst offender responded early and severely.

With better assessment and scrutineering by both ANCAP and its European ANCAP counterparts, ADAS features like lane-keep assist could be made less intrusive and less violent in their interventions.

Lastly, ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg adds that detailed results of this pilot project would be shared with carmakers and used to “inform refinements” to ANCAP’s upcoming 2026-2028 test protocols.

In other words, we could soon see and experience ADAS systems in cars like lane-keeping assist that are much less annoying, less violent and less intrusive with their interventions thanks to the improved testing and assesments.