Kia Tasman aces ANCAP safety test, but falls short of Chinese BYD Shark 6 and JAC T9 scores

Kia’s first ute, the Tasman, has scored a maximum five-star rating in Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) testing, the fifth pick-up model to do so under the latest – and most stringent – standards, but falls short in individual tests against some Chinese rivals.

The current testing criteria was introduced in 2023 and will run until the end of this year before new standards are introduced in 2026.

The Kia Tasman managed an 85 per cent score in the adult occupant protection test, matching the BYD Shark 6 and JAC T9, but beating the GWM Cannon Alpha’s 84 per cent result.

Of note, one of ANCAP’s areas of concern when assessing the Kia Tasman was in the full width frontal crash test “where the pelvis of the driver dummy slipped beneath [the] lap section of the seatbelt”, wherein it copped a penalty to points.

The Mitsubishi Triton however, remains the highest scoring ute in the adult occupant protection test with an 86 per cent mark.

For child occupant protection, the Kia Tasman scored 85 per cent – the lowest result under the latest standards.

The BYD Shark 6 (87%), GWM Cannon Alpha (93%), JAC T9 (87%), and Mitsubishi Triton (89%) all scored higher than the new Kia in the same test under the same criteria.

As for the vulnerable road user protection test, the Kia Tasman scored 74 per cent, just one point above the low-scoring Mitsubishi Triton.

The Tasman’s result matches the BYD Shark 6 in the same assessment, but is positioned below the GWM Cannon Alpha (82%) and JAC T9 (87%).

Finally, the safety assist test yielded an 80 per cent score for the Kia Tasman, which only beats the Triton’s 70 per cent in the same category.

Again, the Kia was beaten by Chinese rivals BYD, GWM, and JAC in test, who scored 86, 81, and 89 for their respective models.

However, the Kia Tasman performed well above the minimum score threshold required for a five-star score, which is 80 per cent for the adult and child occupant protection tests, and 70 per cent for the vulnerable road user protection and safety assist assessments.

In relation to other popular dual-cab utes, the Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, and Toyota HiLux also wear five-star ratings, however, testing of those models were from 2022, 2022, and 2019 respectively with differing test criteria.

The maximum five-star score now opens the Kia Tasman to fleet buyers who mandate a full score to be eligible for use.

Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.

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