2025MY MG 5 ANCAP Re-test Sees It Achieve 3-Star Score

MG 5 initial test by ANCAP in 2023 where it was given a 0-Star rating. 

Here’s an interesting development Down Under involving the MG 5 fastback saloon and the Australasian New Car Assessment Program – better known as ANCAP – crash-testing assessment organisation.

Recap: Initial 2023 0-Star Score

Ahead of its arrival and debut in Malaysia last year, the MG 5 attained infamy after the revered crash-testing organisation awarded the model with a 0-Star rating in 2023 (Read their full report by clicking here). The stemmed from the poor scores achieved by the Australia market MG 5 model that’s made in China.

At the time, MG Motor Malaysia (SAIC Motor Malaysia) stressed that said China-made units imported and sold in Australia – the ones tested by ANCAP – differed greatly in specifications versus the Thai-built units imported and sold in Malaysia by the firm.

Malaysia-spec 2024MY MG 5 pictured.

Nevertheless, some quarters already began casting doubts over the model’s safety based on ANCAP’s initial findings, prompting calls for MG Motor Malaysia to independently assess the MG 5 through ASEAN NCAP – ANCAP’s equivalent here in Southeast Asia.

Whilst the latter has yet to take place, parent firm SAIC Motor in China have taken steps to remedy the 0-Star rating. Having initially promised a series of updates to the Australian market model and have it re-tested, the firm has made good on these promises.

The updated 2025MY MG 5 was re-tested by ANCAP recently, and it earned a revised 3-Star rating.

The Do-Over Sees New 3-Star Score

Earlier today, ANCAP revealed that it re-tested the updated MG 5 model mentioned recently, which entered production since Nov 2024 before going on sale in Australia starting this month.

Critically, this revised MG 5 for Australia is finally brimmed with front and rear outboard seatbelt pre-tensioners – an absent feature in the model ANCAP tested in 2023. This prompted the organisation to conduct a new frontal offset and full-width crash tests to assess their effectiveness in a crash.

This re-assessment sees the MG 5 receive an adult occupant protection rating of 62%, child occupant protection rating of 68%, vulnerable road user protection rating of 65%, and safety assist rating of 59%. These are up from 37%, 58%, 42%, and 13% respectively prior.

Altogether, the new combined scores saw ANCAP award the MG 5 with a new 3-Star rating.

The updated MG 5 earned new and higher scores that led to its revised 3-Star rating by ANCAP.

With the re-test, the organisation acknowledged and observed “enhanced crash performance” in both the full-width and frontal offset tests, with improvements in driver head, chest and lower leg protection and front seat passenger chest protection in the latter test. You can read ANCAP’s full results and findings by clicking here.

Other key changes and updates include an improved autonomous emergency braking (AEB) function with added pedestrian, cyclist and motorcycle detection, newly added lane-keeping assist (LKA) with emergency lane-keep assist (ELKA), as well as seatbelt reminders for all five seats available.

The re-test saw ANCAP re-assess the MG 5 across several fronts and combining some of the new scores here with the scores from the initial 2023 test.

There Are 'Missing Bits'

Whilst a 3-Star rating is better a 0-Star one, we’d reckon perhaps the MG 5  would’ve gotten higher scores had it not missed out on a few bits.

Highlighted by ANCAP here were the absence of blind-spot monitor (BSM), any form of driver monitoring system (i.e. DAA – Driver Attention Alert) and reverse AEB or rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA). The organisation also highlighted the absence of a centre airbag to mitigate impacts between front-row occupants in the event of a side impact.

“While this rating is a step up, it’s important that consumers and fleet operators recognise there are still safety limitations with this model, and that there are other vehicles on the market that offer more robust safety performance,” read the organisation’s remarks in the report mentioned earlier.

Malaysia-spec 2024MY MG 5 pictured. This Thai-built unit imported and sold in Malaysia are 'different' from the China-made units for Australia, claims MG Motor Malaysia.

Still “Not The Same Unit”, But...

We’ve reached out to MG Motor Malaysia for a response on the matter, but the firm has yet to issue one officially.

However, an insider confirmed several things with us, starting with the fact that there are still several differences in this updated China-made model for Australia and the Thailand-built units imported and sold here in Malaysia.

Though what these ‘differences’ are weren’t disclosed, our source instead noted that the latter model should garner the same rating despite which. There’s also no confirmation if MG Motor Malaysia, or its parent firm SAIC Motor, would pursue an ASEAN NCAP test yet.