Zero Star Rated: MG GT disappoints in a safety test

Car manufacturers have been investing a lot in making vehicles safer. We've seen it through the years with the introduction of advanced safety features such as ADAS, and body structures built to protect occupants and pedestrians alike in the event of an accident.

However, every now and then, there's always a car that fails to meet the stringent modern safety requirements. This time, it's MG with the GT sedan.

In the latest Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), the MG GT (called MG5 in Australia) was given a zero-star rating. So how did this happen?

Based on the ANCAP report, the MG GT performed poorly when it came to Adult Occupant Protection (AOP). Under this category, the sedan only scored a dismal 15.09 out of 40. This is due to poor or marginal protection when it comes to the event of a frontal offset, full-width, and far-side impact crash.

Structures in the dashboard were also cited as a potential source of injury for the driver as per the ANCAP report. No front seat whiplash tests were also done on the GT as MG was reportedly unable to provide representative seats for whiplash testing. This resulted in 0 points for the far-side impact test.

The MG GT fared better in terms of Child Occupant Protection (COP) and Vulnerable Road User Protection, as it scored 58% and 42% in these categories, respectively. However, in terms of safety assists, the MG GT also had a dismal performance. It only scored a total of 2.48 out of the possible 18 points, as it scored zero in seatbelt reminders, driver monitoring, AEB performance in junctions and head-on collisions, as well as lane support systems.

Overall, the ANCAP report says the MG GT got zero stars because of the fundamental omission of safety features that have been commonplace in new cars for many years. The MG GT was tested along with the Mahindra Scorpio, which likewise got zero stars in the assessment.

“The MG 5 and Mahindra Scorpio were released into the Australasian market for the first time this year, yet it’s clear that their safety offerings are some generations behind what we see with almost every new car on sale today. This is a stark reminder that not all cars offer the same level of safety – even when they’re brand-new models. With our independent test results now in hand, we hope to see significant improvements made to these models to have them more closely align with the safety credentials offered by their competitors, ” said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, Carla Hoorweg.