BYD's run of five-star ANCAP ratings is over. The Sealion 5 plug-in hybrid, a small SUV listed from $33,990 and now sold with $4,000 cashback, scored three stars on 29 September. It's the first BYD to fall short of five since the brand arrived in 2022.
It was also tested under ANCAP's tougher 2026 criteria, and not by BYD's choice. ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg said the Sealion 5 “was a model the brand hadn't actively pursued for testing”, so ANCAP selected it itself.
Why Did the Sealion 5 Get Three Stars?
Two stages sank it: Safe Driving at 48 per cent and Crash Avoidance at 51 per cent. ANCAP's 2026 rules rate a car by its weakest stage, and four stars this year needed 50 and 60 per cent in those two. Crash Protection, at 79 per cent, wasn't the problem.
Line marks the 2026 five-star threshold for each stage (60, 70, 80 and 80 per cent). Orange bars fall short of it.
Source: ANCAP ratings and technical reports, checked 7 October 2026. Thresholds are ANCAP's 2026 soft-landing levels for Safe Driving and Crash Avoidance, which rise in 2027. A car's lowest-scoring stage sets its star rating.
Missing equipment did much of the damage. The Sealion 5 has no child presence detection, no seatbelt misuse warning, no occupant stature sensing and no eCall, which phones emergency services automatically after a crash. Each scored zero in the technical report.
What went wrong in the driving tests?
The lane-support results were worse. ANCAP found “no vehicle intervention response” when the car drifted towards the road edge, and low-speed AEB avoided few crashes at intersections or with pedestrians. ANCAP says lane departures cause 42 per cent of fatal light-vehicle crashes, citing Monash University research.
In the crash tests, ANCAP noted a higher injury risk to the driver's chest and lower legs, and docked points for crash compatibility and missing rollover airbag evidence. Side-impact protection, by contrast, scored 93 per cent. The full rating covers both Essential and Premium.
And the bar rises in 2027. Under ANCAP's soft-landing schedule, the five-star thresholds for Safe Driving and Crash Avoidance step up 10 points next year, to 70 and 80 per cent. A car that scraped through in 2026 would need more next year.
What Has BYD Said?
BYD says the car is safe and the goalposts moved. In a statement to CarExpert, BYD Australia said the Sealion 5 “complies with all Australian Design Rules” and the rating reflects a new standard, “not any change in BYD's commitment to safety”. Every other BYD tested scored five stars.
That's partly fair. ANCAP's 2026 criteria are its toughest yet, and only five cars have been rated under them. But the other four, including BYD's own M9 people mover, all scored five stars. The new rules are harder, not impossible.
Should You Still Buy a Sealion 5?
Only with eyes open. The Essential lists at $33,990 before on-roads, or $29,990 after BYD's cashback for orders by 21 December. Similar money buys several five-star small SUVs, though their ratings come from older, easier ANCAP protocols and aren't directly comparable.
- MG ZS Hybrid+ Excite: $30,990 drive-away, five stars (2025) for cars built from December 2025
- GWM Haval Jolion Premium HEV: $32,990 drive-away in Victoria, five stars (2022)
- Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid Urban: from $36,478 drive-away in Victoria, five stars (2025)
- Geely Starray EM-i Complete: $37,490 drive-away, five stars (2025)
It isn't a big seller for BYD. CarExpert's Sales Atlas, which draws on VFACTS data, shows 144 Sealion 5s sold in September and 3,512 so far this year, against 2,687 Sealion 7s in September alone.
The Sealion 5 isn't a bad car on paper. It has a 463-litre boot, a claimed 71km of electric range on the old NEDC test in the Essential, and a six-year, 150,000km warranty. But the three stars are now part of the deal, and the cashback doesn't buy them back.
Before you trust any star rating, check its date as well. Our guide to expired ANCAP ratings explains why, and the story of BYD's rise to number two shows how fast this brand moves.
