Safety Upgrades See HiAce And Outlander Keep Five Stars
photo mitsubishi outlander frontal offset b
Wednesday 24 September 2025: In a world where safety tests get harder every few years, Toyota and Mitsubishi have quietly gone back to school. The HiAce and Outlander have been updated and resubmitted to ANCAP for retesting under the latest 2025 criteria. The result? Both models have had their five-star ratings reaffirmed despite sterner exams and stricter scoring. That, frankly, is the sort of sensible stubbornness people like.
Toyota HiAce
The H30 series HiAce first joined Australian and New Zealand roads in 2019 and scored five stars against the rules of that moment. Time passed, test protocols evolved, and Toyota responded. Vans built from June 2025 now carry extra protection and smarter avoidance systems that let the HiAce tackle the more demanding MPDB frontal offset test and the far-side impact test, both of which were added to the ANCAP regime after the van’s original assessment.
Key additions are practical rather than flashy. A centre airbag now reduces the risk of occupants colliding with each other in a crash. Emergency Lane Keeping arrives alongside an intelligent adaptive cruise control and improved speed sign recognition, making motorway miles less stressful. The autonomous emergency braking system has been beefed up so it will intervene not just in straightforward head-on situations, but at junctions and crossings too. And vulnerable road user protection has been broadened to spot and respond to motorcycles as well as pedestrians and cyclists.
Mitsubishi Outlander
The ZM series Outlander came out in 2022 with a five-star rating, and the latest updates ensure it keeps pace with the new rules. Petrol Outlanders built from April 2025 and plug-in hybrid variants from July 2025 benefit from a suite of restraint and active safety upgrades.
Improvements include strengthened occupant restraints, a more effective centre airbag and better whiplash protection. A direct driver monitoring system has been added to help detect inattention or drowsiness. The Outlander’s autonomous emergency braking now handles more complex scenarios, including turning manoeuvres and motorcycle detection, and its lane support functions have been expanded to offer steadier assistance on the road.
Testing, Reassessment And The Bigger Picture
ANCAP updates its tests and scoring every few years to reflect real world advances in vehicle safety and to push manufacturers to keep improving. Think of it like phone software updates; you expect things to get safer and smarter over time, not stay frozen in amber. The reassessment pathway has been open since 2018, allowing manufacturers to submit improved models for re-evaluation when they make significant safety-relevant changes. The same process can also be triggered if a model loses important features.
Other vehicles that have gone down this path after receiving upgrades include some well-known names across pickups, small cars and family hatchbacks. The overall message is clear: both the HiAce and the Outlander have been upgraded to meet tougher expectations, and both still deliver five-star protection under the current, more stringent rules. Full technical details are available on ANCAP’s website.
Zachary Skinner is the editor of TechDrivePlay.com, where tech, cars and adventure share the fast lane.
A former snowboarding pro and programmer, he brings both creative flair and technical know-how to his reviews. From high-performance cars to clever gadgets, he explores how innovation shapes the way we move, connect and live.
