The Haval H6 has achieved a top safety score, but the upcoming hybrid variant will go on sale without a rating.
The H6 mid-size SUV was awarded a five-star rating by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) under its stringent 2020-2022 protocols.
According to ANCAP, the H6 rating applies to all petrol variants which includes the Premium, Lux and Vanta grades.
Haval’s H6 Hybrid, which has just gone on sale, was not included in the safety rating. That means it will be unrated unless GWM Haval Australia supply ANCAP with additional vehicle data that would enable them to extend the rating to the hybrid.
As part of its suite of airbags, the H6 features a centre front airbag that helps protect the driver and passenger in the event of a side impact crash. This is mandatory to achieve a five-star rating under the current protocols.
The H6 scored 90 per cent in the Adult Occupant Protection tests, and 88 per cent for Child Occupant Protection.
For Vulnerable Road User Protection, it scored 73 per cent, losing points for lack of rear auto emergency braking, and for Safety Assist it scored 81 per cent.
Some of the active safety features standard on the H6 include auto emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist and crossroads detection, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, blind spot detection and lane change assist, forward collision warning and traffic sign recognition.
The H6 matches the five-star rating of its chief rival, the MG HS. However, the HS was awarded its score in 2019 which was prior to the latest strict protocols.
Other rivals for the H6 include the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V and SsangYong Korando.
Haval’s smaller Jolion SUV stablemate is yet to be tested by ANCAP.
ANCAP chief executive officer Carla Hoorweg praised the result as an impressive achievement by GWM Haval Australia.
“This is GWM’s first new Haval SUV model to the Australasian market for a number of years. Delivering a five-star vehicle to the market, against ANCAP’s latest 2022 protocols, demonstrates the brand has kept pace with the latest ANCAP safety standards and consumer safety expectations.”
Keyword: How safe is the Haval H6 SUV? MG HS rival gets top points for safety but Toyota RAV4-rivalling hybrid variant remains unrated