BMW iX3 is the first vehicle to earn a 5-star rating under ANCAP's new tougher rules

Every three years, Euro NCAP and ANCAP (Australia's NCAP) work together to revise and introduce new criteria for vehicle safety. The new 2026 rules are in effect, and BMW's new iX3 just scored the maximum 5-star rating at Euro NCAP and ANCAP.

Interestingly, this is the first vehicle to score five stars after the new, stricter rules for 2026 were announced. Those safety rules encourage car manufacturers to expand the safety features for a broader range of occupants and cater to various body types and sizes. Additionally, the new process includes evaluating fuel leakage and/or battery integrity for EVs.

The new protocols are based on four categories - Safe Driving, Crash Avoidance, Crash Protection and Post Crash. That means vehicles are assessed not only based on crash performance but also on technology and features before and after a collision.

In the first category, Safe Driving, the iX3 scored 71%. The phone call operation and climate control functions kept the SUV away from the perfect score, but the adaptive cruise control, speed assistance and fatigue monitoring proved to be excellent. In this testing scenario, NCAP is looking at drivers' distraction while driving and looking for certain features accessible only via the touchscreen.

Anyway, the iX3 scored highly in the Crash Avoidance test, achieving 83% thanks to its "standout" departure collision avoidance system, according to ANCAP.

In the Crash Protection, the BMW scored 86%. Looking more closely, the vehicle aced a few sub-tests - 100% score for rear passengers, including children, 100% in the oblique pole test, 100% for the front passengers in the full-width frontal crash test and 100% for all passengers on the side impact test.

The iX3's weakest performance was during vulnerable road participants tests - 64% for pedestrians, children and cyclists.

Finally, the iX3 scored 95% in the Post Crash assessment thanks to BMW's emergency crash notification system. Car manufacturers are required to provide support for this feature for at least six years.

There were no issues with the battery safety and post-fire risk after a collision. All doors can be manually opened even when the electrical system has failed.

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