Mitsubishi Express van receives zero-star ANCAP rating

For the first time ever, ANCAP has issued a zero star rating for a vehicle in Australia. The Mitsubishi Express van – a popular choice for commercial fleets and private tradespeople – was unable to qualify for a rating higher than zero due to the absence of active safety systems.

Mitsubishi announced the withdrawal of the Express van from the Australasian market in 2013. After a seven-year hiatus, a new model was released locally last year. Delivering marginal performance in physical crash tests, this 2020 model lacks basic safety features that consumers have come to expect in modern vehicles.

Is the Mitsubishi Express still road legal?

The 2020 Express is still roadworthy and meets the Australian Design Rules for vans. However, a considerable risk of neck injury was recorded for the driver in the whiplash test, with passenger whiplash injury risk likely to be higher due to the basic design of the bench seat and head restraints fitted for the two front-row passenger seating positions. There is no chest-protecting side airbag fitted on the passenger side, nor is a centre airbag fitted for protection in side crashes. A frontal airbag for the centre passenger seating position is also not offered.

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane support systems (LSS) – safety features which are routinely fitted to all vehicles assessed in recent years – are not offered on the Mitsubishi Express, resulting in a Safety Assist score of just 7%. Scores for Adult Occupant Protection and Vulnerable Road User Protection were also low.

Should I buy the 2020 Mitsubishi Express for my business?

With many other van options for businesses with high safety ratings, it is not recommended to purchase the 2020 Mitsubishi Express. This zero-star rating will see the Mitsubishi Express ineligible for purchase by a wide range of fleets and commercial buyers that have for many years required 5 star rated vehicles.

Following a full suite of crash tests by ANCAP, physical crash performance of the newly released Express was marginal in areas, with notable risk of significant injury to the chest of the driver in three of the four destructive crash tests (frontal offset, full width frontal and oblique pole tests). A penalty was also applied for potential hard knee contact points for the driver in frontal crashes, and close to the maximum penalty applied for “aggressivity”^ in frontal collisions with other vehicles. Further penalties were applied for significant deformation of the side cargo door in both the side impact and pole tests creating openings through which partial ejection may be possible.

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane support systems (LSS) – safety features which are routinely fitted to all vehicles assessed in recent years – are not offered on the Mitsubishi Express, resulting in a Safety Assist score of just 7%. Scores for Adult Occupant Protection and Vulnerable Road User Protection were also low.

A full list of safety features and technologies can be viewed in the technical report PDF.

^ Risk of injury to occupants of the collision partner vehicle, evaluated in the ANCAP Mobile Progressive Deformable Barrier (MPDB) frontal offset crash test.