Three Stars Not Good Enough for Family-Focussed LDV G10

3 stars not good enough for family-focussed people mover

Families looking for a new people mover should give the LDV G10 a miss, says the AA, after it received a rare 3 star Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) safety rating.

The rating applies to all van and people mover variants of the LDV G10 from June 2015 and onwards.

AA Network Support Manager Phil Collings says it’s disappointing to see a vehicle designed as a family car rate so poorly.

“This is the type of car you would either spend a fair amount of time in for work, or use to transport a big family or group, and yet it fails to provide sound structural safety and is missing key safety features like seatbelt pre-tensioners and head and chest protecting side airbags,” he says.

In the frontal offset crash test, the driver footwell split and there was excessive movement of the brake pedal. That led to a heightened risk of foot injury for the driver. Dash components were also a potential source of injury to the knees for passengers and the driver.

The safety standards of passenger and commercial vans remains well below those offered in other segments with 67 per cent of vans rated by ANCAP holding a rating of four stars or less.

“Manufacturers need to step up their game and provide commercial drivers in particular with safe options. On the flip side, commercial buyers need to be demanding more of manufacturers and they can do that through their wallets,” says Mr Collings.

ANCAP has published crash test results for a wide range of passenger and light commercial vehicle makes, models and variants sold in Australia and New Zealand since 1992. It is supported by all Australian and New Zealand motoring clubs, the Australian Government, the New Zealand Government, all Australian state governments, the Victorian Transport Accident Commission, NRMA Insurance and the FIA foundation.

For a full list of ANCAP’s vehicle safety ratings, other vehicle safety information and the specifications of the rated vehicles visit www.aa.co.nz or rightcar.govt.nz

ENDS

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