The refreshed Tesla Model Y has officially earned a 5-star safety rating from ANCAP, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program. Published on May 6, 2026, the rating applies to all Model Y variants — including the extended Model Y L — built from February 2025 and on sale from May 2025, with validity through December 2031.
The scores across all four ANCAP categories are strong. Adult occupant protection came in at 91%, child occupant protection at an impressive 95%, vulnerable road user protection at 86%, and safety assist at 92%. Every variant comes standard with dual frontal airbags, side chest and head airbags, a centre airbag, and a full suite of autonomous emergency braking — covering car-to-car, vulnerable road user, junction, and backover scenarios — alongside lane support and an advanced speed assistance system.
ANCAP did flag a couple of nuances worth knowing. Child restraint installation in the Model Y L's second-row positions can be tricky due to top-tether routing limitations, and third-row ISOFIX compatibility was flagged for rearward and forward-facing convertible seats. On the crash test side, driver chest protection was rated 'Adequate' in the frontal offset and full-width tests, and 'Marginal' in the oblique pole test — not a disqualifier for the top rating, but something to note. The assessment used 2023–25 testing criteria, keeping it current against the latest standards.
For Australian and New Zealand buyers, this rating provides an independent confirmation that the post-Juniper Model Y holds up rigorously under modern crash testing — not just on paper, but across the full breadth of real-world scenarios ANCAP evaluates. A separate rating continues to apply to vehicles built and sold prior to April 2025.
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Sources & reporting notes
The links below identify the material source records used for this report.
- @TeslaAUNZ on X (2026-05-06T01:05:00.000Z) — Direct source
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