Suzuki’s popular hatchback, the 2025 Swift, has seen a significant safety improvement in Australia, moving from a concerning one-star ANCAP rating to a more respectable three-star rating, thanks to specification upgrades for models built from August 2025 onwards. This is big news, especially for buyers who were worried about safety after the earlier low rating.
Most model variants of the Swift, except the base-spec “GL”, have benefitted from the changes. Vehicles built from VIN ~250001 (build date August 2025) and sold from September 2025 onward are now evaluated under the new safety preparations. Models manufactured before this cut-off will continue carrying the older, one-star rating.
Some of the key upgrades that have helped Suzuki raise the ANCAP safety score:
- Standard fitment of frontal, side chest and curtain airbags across most variants. The GL base model still lacks some of these.
- Addition of AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking) features: includes car-to-car AEB, junction AEB, and vulnerable road user AEB.
- Lane Support Systems: lane keep assist, lane departure warning, emergency lane‐keeping included.
- Speed Assist system is now standard across upgraded variants.
- Adult Occupant Protection: ~67% (26.87/40 points)
- Child Occupant Protection: ~65% (32.28/49)
- Vulnerable Road User Protection: ~76% (48/63)
- Safety Assist Technologies: ~55% (10.03/18) – note that one missing piece is AEB during back-over situations.
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Despite these improvements, there are still areas where the Swift lags behind some competitors as well as its own Euro NCAP specification:
- The centre airbag (between front occupants) remains absent.
- Certain advanced assist features present in European Swift versions are not yet offered in Australia-spec below higher variants.
- Units built before August 2025 keep the previous lower safety rating. Buyers should check build/VIN details.
What this rating change means:
- Buyers of new Swift cars in Australia (post-August 2025 builds) can expect substantially better safety performance than what the earlier one-star rating suggested.
- For used-car buyers, especially older units, it’s important to verify if the car was built/registered after the safety upgrades. Otherwise, it may lack some of the vital safety features now considered standard.
- As safety becomes a key selling point globally, this upgrade helps Swift compete more strongly in markets where crash ratings significantly influence customer trust and policy regulations.
the 2025 Suzuki Swift’s move from one star to three stars in the ANCAP ratings represents a major improvement. Even though it still isn’t top of its class, the Swift’s new safety package brings it closer to expectations for modern hatchbacks. For many buyers, that translates into more peace of mind — not just style or efficiency, but real protection.
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