Hyundai’s Staria people mover has matched its Kia Carnival cousin with a maximum five-star ANCAP crash safety rating.
The eight-seat family hauler achieved better results than the model it replaced, the iMax, which only managed a four-star rating.
The latest rating for the Staria also carries across to the related Staria-Load delivery van which becomes the first commercial van to score five stars under ANCAP’s strict 2020-2022 protocols.
According to ANCAP, the results apply to all Staria people-mover variants, and all automatic versions of the Staria-Load.
There are just a handful of commercial vans in the segment that carry a five-star ANCAP rating. They include the Ford Transit Custom (tested in 2012), Mercedes-Benz Vito (tested in 2014) and the Toyota HiAce (tested in 2019).
Almost all other commercial vans are yet to be tested, except the Mitsubishi Express – a rebadged version of the Renault Trafic – which was controversially slapped with a zero-star rating this year.
ANCAP chief executive officer Carla Hoorweg said the result represents a win for tradies and business buyers, especially after the previous model – the iLoad – only scored four stars.
“This is a highly-anticipated result for fleets, and a significant step forward from the previous generation vehicle that the Staria-Load replaces,” she said.
“For so many small businesses and tradespeople their vehicle is their workplace. By providing the full suite of available safety specifications in the Staria-Load, Hyundai has shown strong commitment to the safety of Australian and New Zealand road users and we expect this five-star result will be well-received by fleets and commercial buyers.”
The Staria people mover is in good company with the mechanically related Kia Carnival, which set the safety benchmark for the segment when it was tested early in 2021.
ANCAP scored the Staria 85 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 86 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 65 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection and 74 per cent for Safety Assist.
While it’s a solid result for Hyundai, the Carnival scored higher in these categories at 90, 88, 68 and 82 per cent respectively.
The crash safety watchdog said the Staria performed well in the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) car-to-car tests, however it is not fitted with rear AEB for reversing, or AEB with junction assist. It does however have a centre airbag, AEB, and lane assistance.
ANCAP pointed out that buyers with young children should be aware that child restraints can only be fitted to the second and not the third row of the Staria people mover.
Other people mover rivals with five stars include the Honda Odyssey (although it’s just been discontinued), the Toyota Granvia and Mercedes-Benz V-Class. The Volkswagen Multivan/Caravelle is yet to be rated and the LDV G10 only scored three stars.
Keyword: How safe is the 2022 Hyundai Staria and Staria-Load van? Kia Carnival and Toyota HiAce rivals get five stars