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Safety at every stage: BMW iX3 delivers against new safety criteria

ANCAP SAFETY

Every three years ANCAP test and rating requirements are updated to reflect industry advancements, changing crash risks and evolving consumer expectations.  The latest criteria are now in effect, with the BMW iX3 the first model to roll through the new Stages of Safety approach.

The BMW iX3 is the first model to be independently tested against the new 2026-2028 requirements, achieving a five-star ANCAP safety rating. 

The new criteria mark an important milestone, recognising the complete safety sequence - from helping drivers avoid crashes, to protecting occupants when crashes occur, and improving outcomes in the critical moments afterwards.  

The four Stages of Safety evaluated from 2026 are:

1. Safe Driving – How well does the vehicle support the driver and provide a safer driving experience?
   
   
2. Crash Avoidance – How effectively can the vehicle identify hazards and help prevent or mitigate a crash?
   
   
3. Crash Protection – How well do the vehicle's structure, airbags and seatbelts protect occupants and other road users?
4. Post Crash – Can the vehicle’s design and on-board systems assist emergency responders to improve occupant care following a crash?
   
   

“Safe Driving helps reduce mistakes; Crash Avoidance helps prevent collisions; Crash Protection remains the foundation of occupant safety when a crash cannot be avoided; and Post Crash helps improve survival and recovery when every minute counts,” ANCAP Chief Executive, Carla Hoorweg, said.

“Over three decades of ANCAP influence, this is the most comprehensive ratings framework we’ve applied.  We have again stepped up our assessment to capture and evaluate the many ways a modern car can protect its occupants and other road users.”

“The BMW iX3 is the first model we’ve put through this new rating process, and its specification and performance have captured the essence of the new requirements.”

“Importantly, this new approach retains all of the traditional crash tests ANCAP is synonymous with.  Building on this, our 2026 requirements encourage even better protection for a broader range of occupants through restraint systems and vehicle designs that cater for people of different body types and sizes.  Fuel leakage and EV battery integrity are also now reviewed as part of the crash-test assessments – particularly relevant given the increasing number of electric vehicles now on our roads.”

“Another new area of focus is eCall.  eCall is an automatic crash function that that notifies emergency services of a crash and its location.  It can help first responders understand the nature of the crash before they arrive at the scene – helping them to prioritise treatment for those involved.”

“Taking on board consumer feedback, our 2026 rating system encourages manufacturers to develop systems that drivers are happy to leave switched on.  Systems that irritate rather than improve the driving experience will be marked down, with lane keeping systems now assessed on how naturally they interact with the driver, including steering response and driver override effort.”

“The ‘smart coupling’ of driver alertness with safety system intervention is also now assessed.  Vehicles that enhance – or minimise – their response according to the driver’s level of alertness are rewarded.”

BMW iX3 SAFETY PERFORMANCE

The BMW iX3 delivers a comprehensive and sophisticated combination of safety features, crash protection and crash avoidance performance.

Examining its safe driving features, the BMW iX3 offers dedicated physical controls for key driving functions including the indicators, hazard lights, horn, gear selector and headlights.

During the new on-road driving assessment, which assesses the accuracy of speed limit identification functionality on local metropolitan and regional roads, the iX3 correctly identified 73% of speed change events - equivalent to 92% of the distance driven.

The iX3 can detect and classify the stature of occupants in front seating positions, however it does not monitor seatbelt misuse or detect a front-seat passenger who is sitting 'out-of-position', for example with their feet on the dashboard.

The iX3 is equipped with driver monitoring sensors to help reduce fatigue, impairment and distraction-related crashes, offering better performance for fatigue and impairment detection than for distraction.

All of the latest crash avoidance systems are fitted to the iX3. Its autonomous emergency braking system comfortably exceeds Australian, New Zealand and European regulatory requirements, performing well in same-direction and turning scenarios with other cars and motorcycles.  Pedestrian and cyclist detection performed well, while avoidance of lane departures was a standout.

The level of crash protection offered by the BMW iX3 is mature, with positive scores achieved across the traditional frontal offset test – which now features a small adult female seated in the front passenger seat.  Maximum scores were achieved for occupant protection in all side impact crashes.

A third test dummy has been added to the full-width frontal crash test for the first time in 2026, and the iX3 achieved the maximum score for protection offered to the occupant in this front passenger seating position.  Rear-impact whiplash performance was very good.  

New robustness tests factor into crash protection scoring from this year, with these added virtual and sled tests demonstrating overall good levels of protection for occupants of different body types and variations in the crash configuration.

The post crash capability of the iX3 is of a high standard, scoring 95%.  Fitted with an eCall system that transmits crash location and severity to a triaged emergency services call centre, this safety feature is provided to iX3 owners in Australia and New Zealand for the life of the vehicle.

As an all-electric vehicle, the BMW iX3 demonstrated effective battery voltage isolation and post-crash fire risk management.  The electrically-operated door handles remained in the extended position and were operable after all crash tests.  The presence of a manual door release was confirmed.

Full details on the safety performance of the BMW iX3 can be viewed at:
https://www.ancap.com.au/safety-ratings/bmw/ix3

 

WHAT ELSE IS NEW FROM 2026?

The full 2026-2028 test and rating criteria were announced in November 2025, with key changes available at www.ancap.com.au/2026.

Additional areas of focus from 2026 include:

• A new crash barrier in the full-width frontal crash test better reflects real-world crashes and reduces the possibility of airbag deployment being optimised for a single test scenario.
• More robust crash avoidance assessments examine how safety systems perform in a broader range of real-world conditions, including detection of pedestrians in different lighting and weather conditions, different approach angles, and at a broader range of speeds.
• Rollover injury prevention is now assessed examining whether curtain airbags remain inflated for long enough, and cover enough of the cabin, to protect occupants in a rollover.
• New “pothole” testing assesses how well vehicles support the driver in maintaining control when steering to avoid an on-road hazard.
• Whiplash protection requirements have been strengthened with an additional rear-impact assessment focused on smaller occupants.
• A motorcycle T-bone test has been added to encourage auto braking systems that can prevent intersection crashes with motorcycles.
• Serious component failures will see an automatic 50% score deduction per test.

 

MEDIA ASSETS
Download here:

–    Audio grabs:  Carla Hoorweg, ANCAP CEO
–   Test images:  BMW iX3
–    Video footage:  Local on-road driving assessment 
–    Fact Sheet:  What’s New from 2026?
–    Explanatory video: What’s New from 2026?

About us:

ANCAP SAFETY is Australia and New Zealand's independent voice on vehicle safety.

We crash test cars and conduct on-track and on-road performance assessments on safety features and technologies then publish a simple star rating or grading to indicate relative safety performance.

Over the last three decades we have published independent safety ratings for thousands of new vehicle makes, models and variants. These independent safety ratings and gradings are used to compare the relative safety between vehicles of similar size and have become a critical factor in vehicle selection for private consumers and fleet buyers.

Contact details:

MEDIA CONTACT
Rhianne Robson 
0408 296 550
[email protected]