The new Kia Tasman pickup has earned a five-star safety rating from ANCAP, the Australian equivalent of Euro NCAP, following rigorous independent testing.

It’s a strong debut for Kia’s first-ever pickup, with the dual-cab 4×4 model performing well across all four of ANCAP’s key criteria: Adult Occupant Protection (85%), Child Occupant Protection (85%), Vulnerable Road User Protection (74%), and Safety Assist (80%).

Designed with both commercial and private buyers in mind, the Tasman enters a hotly contested segment, and its safety performance puts it on par with established rivals like the Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, and Toyota Hilux. All three also hold five-star ANCAP scores.

ANCAP praised the Tasman’s performance in crash and collision-avoidance testing, including strong results for adult and child occupants in the frontal offset crash. Crash compatibility — a measure of how the vehicle affects others in an accident — was also deemed impressive, especially given the Tasman’s size and weight.

Kia Tasman pickup in ANCAP crash testing.

“The popularity of utes among consumers continues to rise. Given their time spent on the road both as commercial workhorses and family transport, it is important that models in this high-volume segment offer robust levels of safety,” said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, Carla Hoorweg. “Fleet buyers and potential Tasman customers across the country have been eagerly awaiting the Tasman’s safety rating, and this five-star result will be welcome news.”

How does this affect UK buyers? It doesn’t. Unfortunately for UK buyers, Kia still has no plans to bring the Tasman to our shores, despite strong demand.

Phil Huff
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