ANCAP awards GWM Tank 500 with five-star safety rating

If there's one more vehicle we wish GWM would bring to the Philippines, it's the Tank 500. Serving as the brand's answer to the likes of the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 and the Nissan Patrol, this behemoth of an SUV combines go-anywhere capability with the luxurious amenities one would find on more expensive vehicles.

GWM Philippines has yet to announce whether they will be bringing the Tank 500. But should they launch it here, it will be one of the brand's safest vehicles to date. Recently, the Australasia NCAP (ANCAP) awarded the Tank 500 with a perfect five-star safety rating. This comes after the full-size SUV performed with flying colors through the organization's stringent safety tests.

For starters, the Tank 500 scored 34.48 out of a total of 40 points in the Adult Occupant Protection – resulting in an 85% rating. Not only did the vehicle keep adult passengers safe in the frontal, full width, and side impact tests, but the Tank 500 also delivered exceptional whiplash protection and impact protection on the chest.

The Tank 500 also excelled in Child Occupant Protection as it was able to get 46 points out of a total of 49 – translating to a 93% safety rating. With the child dummies seated in child seats, the Tank 500 delivered high marks in both the front & side impact tests. ANCAP also praised the Tank 500's ISOFIX anchors on the second row which will allow buyers to buy various types of child seats, depending on their needs.

When it comes to Vulnerable Road User Protection, the Tank 500 scored 51.53 points out of a total of 63 points. The 81% safety rating translates to an SUV that can minimize serious injuries to pedestrians in the event of an accident. Combined with the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) and Forward Collision Warning (FCW) features that work for cars, pedestrians, and motorcycles, the Tank 500 has the ability to brake before a possible accident automatically.

Last but not least, the Tank 500 was able to get 15.28 points out of a total of 18 points in Safety Assist. The result is an 84% safety rating thanks to the Tank 500's numerous safety assist features like seat belt reminders, driver monitoring, speed assistance systems (adaptive cruise control), AEB, FCW, and lane support systems like lane-keeping assist, lane departure warning, & blind-spot monitoring.

With the Tank 500 garnering top marks in terms of safety, GWM has plenty of good reasons to bring the SUV to the Philippine market. The only question now is, will the company actually bring it here in the not-so-distant future?