2023 Volkswagen Amarok earns five-star safety rating

The new Volkswagen Amarok has received higher marks in independent safety testing than any ute on sale in Australia – including the Ford Ranger on which it is based – ahead of showroom arrivals commencing in May 2023.

The 2023 Volkswagen Amarok has been awarded a five-star safety rating by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) after assessments of tests conducted in Europe.

Applicable to all variants of the Amarok sold in Australia, Volkswagen’s second-generation ute is rated as the safest ute in the market, scoring higher than its dual-cab rivals such as the GWM Ute, Isuzu D-Max, Mazda BT-50 and its twin under the skin, the Ford Ranger.

Despite sharing a five-star safety rating with its dual-cab rivals, the Volkswagen Amarok’s average scores across ANCAP’s four main categories were higher than any ute tested under the 2020-22 test protocols.

Volkswagen’s new ute received scores of 86 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 93 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 74 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection (pedestrians and cyclists), and 83 per cent for Safety Assist technology.

MORE: 2023 Volkswagen Amarok price and specs

The Amarok’s Adult Occupant Protection rating is two per cent higher than its Ford Ranger twin, which was attributed to better whiplash protection in the Volkswagen.

ANCAP’s technical report shows the Volkswagen Amarok achieved full marks in its side impact, far side impact, and rescue and extraction tests – while all other criteria (except the frontal offset) scored within a point of a perfect score.

The independent safety organisation noted the Volkswagen Amarok “presented a high risk to occupants of an oncoming vehicle in the frontal offset test”, resulting in a 3.57 point penalty being applied.

The Volkswagen Amarok’s Child Occupant Protection results mirrored the Ford Ranger, with full points awarded for its dynamic front and side tests, plus its restraint installation – though ANCAP noted there is no top tether point for securing a child seat in the centre rear seat.

An 83 per cent result for the Amarok’s Safety Assist technology was awarded after the ute only lost less than one point for its autonomous emergency braking car-to-car, speed assistance and lane support systems.

While its exterior body panels are shaped differently to the Ford Ranger, the Volkswagen Amarok also shares an identical Vulnerable Road User Protection score with its twin.

According to ANCAP, the Amarok’s achieved mixed results in the pedestrian safety tests, providing varying levels of protection from good to poor across the criteria.

The Vulnerable Road User Protection category was the only test where the ute failed to record at least one perfect score, with the biggest point penalty applied to its head impacts result, losing 7.67 points out of 24 available.

Despite sharing a five-star safety rating with its dual-cab rivals, the Volkswagen Amarok’s average scores across the ANCAP’s four main categories were higher than any ute tested under the 2020-22 test protocols.

The 2023 Volkswagen Amarok is now on sale and due to arrive in Australian showrooms in May 2023, priced between $50,990 and $79,990 plus on-road costs.

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