Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 buy more time with reissued five-star safety ratings

The Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 ute twins – and the Isuzu MU-X wagon – have been issued with updated five-star ANCAP safety ratings that buys each model another six years before the next round of upgrades are required.

For 2023, the Isuzu D-Max ute, Mazda BT-50 ute, and Isuzu MU-X SUV have a revised instrument panel design and an "improved" driver’s knee airbag to better protect occupants in a crash.

The changes allowed Isuzu and Mazda to apply for updated five-star ratings from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), with the results published less than a month before the independent crash test authority introduces more stringent measures.

Earlier this year, ANCAP announced all five-star safety ratings will expire six years after they were issued, starting from 31 December 2022.

As reported last month, the expiry dates will make it easier for car buyers to compare like-for-like results.

Previously, five-star safety ratings that were up to a decade old were being displayed alongside newer five-star vehicles that met more stringent criteria.

ANCAP’s decision to introduce six-year expiry dates on five-star vehicles coincides with the introduction of tougher crash-test criteria next year, which will make it harder for cars to score top marks (read more about the changes here).

While most passenger car lifecycles are between five to seven years, light commercial vehicles such as utes are typically stretched to 10 years or more.

For example, Isuzu’s first-generation D-Max was produced between 2002 and 2012; the second-generation lasted from 2012 until 2019.

The third-generation Isuzu D-Max was last tested by ANCAP under its current criteria in September 2020, meaning its five-star rating was set to expire in September 2026.

The five-star rating was also applied to its Mazda BT-50 ute twin in October 2020, followed by the Isuzu MU-X SUV in August 2021.

The reissued five-star safety ratings in 2022 means the trio can continue to advertise their latest scores until 31 December 2028 – about eight years after the current-generation Isuzu D-Max’s launch.

In the Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50, the upgrades have resulted in an increased Adult Occupant Protection score of 86 per cent, up from the 2020 scores of 83 per cent.

However, the 86 per cent result has also been applied to the MU-X, reducing its 2021 score of 87 per cent.

ANCAP’s technical report for the upgraded Isuzu MU-X’s crash tests shows the SUV lost points for its protection of the driver's chest and lower legs, front passenger lower legs and rear passenger’s chest compared to the 2021 test. 

Crucially, the Isuzu MU-X’s one point penalty for knee performance is no longer applicable, leading to the new score being applied.

A spokesperson for Isuzu Ute Australia confirmed the safety upgrades made their debut in the ‘2022.75’ model year D-Max which arrived in October 2022, and subsequently rolled into the 2023 ute and MU-X SUV.

According to Mazda Australia, the updated BT-50 went on sale locally at the start of August 2022.