The highly anticipated 2025 Cupra Tavascan, the Spanish brand’s flagship electric SUV, has fallen short of achieving the coveted five-star safety rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). This surprising outcome comes despite the vehicle’s strong performance in crash testing and its ability to secure a five-star rating from Euro NCAP, highlighting a regional disparity in safety feature implementation that has significant implications for consumers in the Australian market.
A Single Feature Makes the Difference
The Tavascan’s four-star ANCAP rating stems primarily from the absence of an intelligent speed assistance system and speed limit information function. These driver assistance technologies, which are standard in European Tavascan models, have not been made available to Australian buyers. This omission proved costly in ANCAP’s Safety Assist category, where the Tavascan scored only 67 percent—below the 70 percent threshold required for a five-star rating.
“Speed sign recognition and an intelligent speed limiter are standard in European models but have not been made available to current Australian Tavascan buyers,” stated ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg, emphasizing that this specific feature gap was the primary reason for the reduced rating. She further encouraged Cupra to consider updating Australian vehicles to match their European counterparts.
Strong Performance in Other Safety Categories
The four-star rating belies the Tavascan’s otherwise impressive safety credentials. The electric SUV achieved scores of 89 percent for adult occupant protection, 87 percent for child occupant protection, and 80 percent for vulnerable road user protection—all comfortably exceeding the minimum requirements for a five-star rating in these categories.
ANCAP’s assessment revealed that the Tavascan performed exceptionally well in destructive crash testing. The vehicle provided “Good” protection for most body regions of front-seat occupants in frontal offset testing and “excelled” in side impact testing, earning maximum points. Full points were also awarded for the protection of child occupants in frontal offset and side impact crash tests, demonstrating the vehicle’s structural integrity in collision scenarios.
“Crash protection is a fundamental element of every ANCAP safety rating, and the Cupra Tavascan performed well in these areas with strong structural performance,” noted Hoorweg, highlighting the vehicle’s solid safety foundation.
Autonomous Emergency Braking Performance
The Tavascan’s autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system also impressed evaluators with its “consistent performance when responding to pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists in a range of collision avoidance scenarios,” successfully mitigating or avoiding collisions in testing. However, ANCAP did identify two specific weaknesses in the vehicle’s safety assist systems: the AEB system cannot detect pedestrians while reversing, and the safe exit warning system notified exiting occupants too late, earning a “poor” performance rating.
Cupra’s Response to the Rating
In response to the four-star ANCAP rating, Cupra issued a statement defending the Tavascan’s safety credentials while acknowledging the specific feature gap identified by ANCAP. The company emphasized its commitment to active and passive safety systems across its range and highlighted the real-world recognition the Tavascan has received for its comprehensive driver assistance features.
“The Tavascan comfortably exceeds five-star requirements in three of the four segments, including segments crucial to driver and passenger safety such as Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, and Vulnerable Road User Protection,” Cupra stated. “In the fourth segment, Driver Assist, the Tavascan fulfilled or exceeded all requirements with the single exception of a speed limit information function.”
The company also pointed to positive real-world evaluations of the Tavascan’s Travel Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Assist, and Side Assist functions, which automotive journalists have recognized as “among the most comprehensive and intuitively tuned in the industry.”
The Tavascan’s Position in the Market
Despite the four-star ANCAP rating, the Cupra Tavascan remains a compelling option in the growing electric SUV segment. As Cupra’s flagship EV, the Tavascan combines striking design with impressive performance and a focus on driving dynamics that sets it apart from many competitors.
The Tavascan is offered in Australia in two variants: the rear-wheel-drive Endurance and the all-wheel-drive VZ. The VZ version delivers 250kW of combined power from its dual-motor setup, enabling a 0-100km/h sprint in just 5.5 seconds. Both variants utilize a 77kWh (usable capacity) battery, with the Endurance capable of up to 534km of range (WLTP) and the VZ offering up to 499km.
Priced from approximately $60,990 for the Endurance and $74,990 for the VZ (plus on-road costs), the Tavascan positions itself as a premium electric offering that still falls below the Luxury Car Tax threshold in Australia, making it eligible for the Federal Government’s Electric Car Discount.
Driving Experience and Interior Design
Reviews of the Tavascan have consistently praised its driving dynamics, with many noting that it offers a more engaging experience than other electric SUVs based on the same MEB platform from the Volkswagen Group. The adaptive suspension system (Dynamic Chassis Control) on higher trim levels allows drivers to adjust the firmness to suit different driving conditions, though some reviewers have noted it doesn’t deliver the plushest ride in any setting.
Inside, the Tavascan features a distinctive cockpit-style layout with a large 15-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Copper accents carried over from the exterior help create a unified design theme, while the cabin’s focus on the driver emphasizes the vehicle’s sporting intentions. Practicality hasn’t been forgotten, with decent space for rear passengers and a 540-liter boot that expands to 1,550 liters with the rear seats folded.
The Importance of Safety Ratings in Consumer Choices
The four-star ANCAP rating for the Tavascan raises important questions about regional differences in vehicle specifications and the impact of safety ratings on consumer perception. While the Tavascan’s European variant secured five stars from Euro NCAP, the Australian model’s rating may influence purchasing decisions despite the relatively minor feature difference.
ANCAP ratings play a significant role in the Australian market, with many fleet operators and government departments maintaining policies that require five-star rated vehicles. This could potentially limit the Tavascan’s appeal to certain segments of the market, despite its otherwise strong safety credentials.
The situation also highlights the challenges automakers face in managing regional variations in regulations and consumer expectations. While intelligent speed assistance systems are becoming standard in many European markets due to regulatory requirements, their adoption in Australia has been less consistent.
Will Cupra Update Australian Models?
The question now is whether Cupra will respond to ANCAP’s feedback by introducing the missing safety features to Australian-market Tavascans. ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg explicitly encouraged the company to “consider an update to Australian vehicles to elevate it to the five-star level of its European equivalents.”
Such an update would likely require only software changes rather than hardware modifications, potentially making it a relatively straightforward enhancement to implement. However, Cupra has not yet committed to introducing the intelligent speed assistance system for the Australian market.
A Minor Blemish on a Promising EV
The Cupra Tavascan’s four-star ANCAP rating represents a minor setback for what is otherwise a compelling addition to the electric SUV landscape. The vehicle’s strong performance in crash testing and most safety assist categories demonstrates that it provides robust protection for occupants and vulnerable road users alike.
For prospective buyers, the decision may come down to how heavily they weigh ANCAP ratings versus the Tavascan’s other attributes, including its striking design, engaging driving dynamics, and comprehensive feature set. Many may find that the specific omission of intelligent speed assistance doesn’t significantly detract from the vehicle’s overall safety proposition, particularly given its excellent scores in physical crash protection.
As electric vehicles continue to gain market share in Australia, manufacturers like Cupra will need to carefully balance regional requirements and consumer expectations to ensure their products achieve the highest possible safety ratings across all markets. For now, the Tavascan stands as a reminder that even small specification differences can have significant implications for safety certifications, even when the underlying vehicle design offers strong protection.