MG U9 Five-Star ANCAP Safety Rating: What Redlands Buyers Need to Know

The MG U9 earns a five-star ANCAP safety rating (the highest possible result) under the demanding 2023-2025 assessment criteria. Introduced to Australia and New Zealand in September 2025, the MG U9 is a dual-cab diesel utility available in three variants. With an Adult Occupant Protection score of 91 per cent, the MG U9 posts the highest adult occupant result of any MG model in the entire current ANCAP series, and one of the strongest results available in the dual-cab ute segment.

For Redlands families and tradespeople who want a capable diesel ute backed by strong independent safety credentials, the MG U9 deserves serious consideration. The full range is available at Bartons MG at 103 Redland Bay Road, Capalaba, your local MG dealer serving the Redlands Coast and South East Queensland.

This ANCAP safety rating is based on testing of the Maxus eTerron 9, a battery-electric vehicle, conducted in 2024. ANCAP was provided with technical information and additional test data to demonstrate that those crash test results are also applicable to the diesel MGU9.

Two specific adjustments were noted: the vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility penalty and lower leg protection are both slightly inferior in the diesel MGU9 compared to the tested eTerron 9, but both remain comfortably within five-star requirements. The five-star rating is valid for all diesel MGU9 variants.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) independently crash-tests and rates new vehicles sold in Australia and New Zealand at accredited facilities. A five-star rating is the highest result achievable and is completely independent of manufacturer safety claims.

ANCAP assesses four key categories: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist. The MG U9 returned strong to excellent results across all four.

The MG U9 (built from July 2024, on sale from September 2025) achieved the following results under 2023-2025 criteria:

The rating applies to all three diesel variants sold in Australia and New Zealand, built from July 2024 onwards. It expires in December 2031.

What Was Tested

The MG U9 was assessed through a frontal offset test at 50 km/h, a full-width frontal test at 50 km/h, a side impact at 60 km/h, an oblique pole test at 32 km/h, far-side impact tests, and whiplash protection assessments.

What the Results Show

Adult occupant protection is the MG U9's strongest category at 91 per cent, the highest adult occupant score of any MG model currently rated by ANCAP in Australia. The passenger compartment remained stable in the frontal offset test.

The driver received adequate chest and lower leg protection, with good protection across all other body regions.

The front passenger received good protection across all critical body areas.

The full-width frontal test result was exceptional: the MG U9 scored the full 8.00 out of 8 points, with good protection across all critical body regions for the driver and near-perfect results for the rear passenger. A perfect full-width frontal score is a genuinely rare result across any vehicle class.

The side impact result was also exceptional, scoring the maximum 6.00 out of 6 points with good protection across all critical body regions. For Redlands drivers navigating the arterial intersections along Redland Bay Road, Mount Cotton Road, and through the Capalaba retail precinct, a maximum side-impact score reflects real-world protection that matters. The oblique pole test returned 5.63 out of 6.

The far-side impact score was the full 4.00 out of 4.00, with the centre airbag providing good head protection for both front seat occupants. Prevention of excursion in the far-side vehicle-to-vehicle scenario was rated good, stronger than most other MG models in this series.

The rescue and extrication score was 3.00 out of 4. Both doors and windows passed submergence testing, remaining operational for the minimum required time period. An advanced eCall system is fitted and earned 1.00 point. Multi-collision braking earned 1.00 point.

What Was Tested

Child occupant protection is assessed through dynamic crash testing using six-year-old and ten-year-old child dummies in frontal offset and side impact scenarios, as well as a practical assessment of how standard Australian and New Zealand child restraints can be installed.

What the Results Show

The MG U9 returned an outstanding child occupant protection result. In both the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection of both child dummies was good across all critical body regions, with the MG U9 scoring the maximum 16.00 out of 16 in the frontal offset test and the maximum 8.00 out of 8 in the side impact test. The restraint installation assessment also scored the full 12.00 out of 12 points, a perfect result across all assessed positions in the rear outboard seats.

The MG U9 is fitted with ISOFix lower anchorages and top tether anchorages on the rear outboard seats.

One important safety note for Redlands families: there is no top tether anchorage in the centre rear seating position. ANCAP specifically advises that installation of child restraints in the second row centre position is not recommended. If you regularly seat children in the middle rear seat, our team at Bartons MG Capalaba can walk you through the seating configuration before purchase.

An indirect child presence detection (CPD) system is fitted as standard, providing an alert if a child may have been left in the rear seats. This system scored 1.00 out of 4 in the ANCAP assessment.

What Was Tested

Vulnerable road user (VRU) protection covers the physical construction of the vehicle's bonnet and windscreen and the performance of the AEB system in detecting and reacting to pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.

Physical Impact Results

The MG U9 bonnet and windscreen provided good or adequate head protection to pedestrians over most of its surface, with marginal and poor results at the stiff windscreen pillars, the base of the windscreen, and the front edge of the bonnet. Pelvis protection was mixed, with areas of good and poor performance. Femur and lower leg protection were both rated good, with maximum points awarded for both.

Autonomous Emergency Braking: Pedestrians, Cyclists, and Motorcyclists

The VRU AEB system operates from 8 km/h to 80 km/h in forward scenarios.

Forward pedestrian AEB performance was rated good, with collisions avoided or mitigated in most tests including turning scenarios, day and night. In reverse (AEB Backover), performance was rated adequate, providing meaningful protection when reversing in driveways and shopping centre car parks throughout the Redlands area.

Cyclist AEB performance was rated good, with collisions avoided or mitigated at all test speeds including turning scenarios. The MG U9 provides both an information alert and a warning when a cyclist is approaching from behind, though the warning was not sufficiently early to meet ANCAP's timing requirements and was not rewarded with full points.

Motorcyclist AEB and lane support performance were both rated good, including in turning and emergency lane keeping scenarios, earning the full 6.00 out of 6 for AEB Motorcycle and the full 3.00 out of 3 for LSS Motorcycle. These perfect motorcyclist results are relevant to the mix of traffic on the Redlands' suburban and rural roads.

What Was Tested

Safety Assist evaluates the active safety technology suite: AEB for car-to-car scenarios, lane support, speed assistance, seat belt reminders, and driver monitoring.

Car-to-Car AEB

The MG U9 AEB system operates from 8 km/h to 140 km/h. Standard car-to-car tests returned good performance for stationary, slower-moving, and lightly braking vehicles ahead. Performance against a heavily braking vehicle was adequate. AEB Junction and AEB Crossing performance were both good, relevant to the intersection-heavy road network through the Redlands. AEB Head-On performance was also good at 0.88 out of 1.

Lane Support System

The lane support system operates from 50 to 250 km/h, covering everything from suburban speeds through to open highway driving. Both LKA and ELK were rated good in car-to-car testing, earning the full 3.00 out of 3 points, a perfect lane support score that is particularly relevant for highway commutes on the Gateway and Pacific Motorway routes used regularly by Redlands drivers.

Speed Assistance, Driver Monitoring, and Features

The MG U9 includes camera-based speed sign recognition and intelligent adaptive cruise control (iACC) as standard, one of the few MG models in this series to offer iACC and a practical benefit for longer highway runs. A direct driver monitoring system (DMS) detecting distraction and fatigue is fitted as standard. An advanced eCall system is also standard, automatically alerting emergency services in the event of a crash. Seat belt reminders with occupancy detection for all seating positions scored the full 1.00 out of 1.

The following safety features are standard across all MG U9 diesel variants sold in Australia and New Zealand:

• Dual frontal airbags (driver and front passenger)
• Side chest-protecting airbags (front and second-row seats)
• Side head-protecting curtain airbags (front and second-row seats)
• Centre airbag
• Autonomous emergency braking: car-to-car (8-140 km/h), pedestrian forward and reverse, cyclist, and motorcyclist
• AEB Junction (car, pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcyclist) and AEB Crossing
• AEB Head-On
• Lane keep assist (LKA) and emergency lane keeping (ELK), operational from 50-250 km/h
• Lane departure warning (LDW)
• Forward collision warning (FCW)
• Blind spot monitoring (BSM)
• Intelligent adaptive cruise control (iACC)
• Speed sign recognition (camera-based) and intelligent speed limiter
• Direct driver monitoring system (distraction and fatigue detection with warning and intervention)
• Indirect child presence detection system (rear passenger seats, standard)
• Cyclist dooring information alert
• Seat belt reminders with occupancy detection (all seating positions)
• Multi-collision braking system
• Advanced automatic emergency call (eCall)
• ISOFix anchorages and top tether anchorages (rear outboard seats only; no top tether in centre rear)
• Rescue sheet for emergency responders

The five-star ANCAP rating applies to all three diesel variants built from July 2024 onwards:

• MG U9 Explore (2.5L diesel, 4WD)
• MG U9 Explore X (2.5L diesel, 4WD)
• MG U9 Explore PRO (2.5L diesel, 4WD)

At Bartons MG, we believe Redlands buyers deserve honest, complete information about the safety of every vehicle they consider. The MG U9's five-star ANCAP result is independently verified, and its 91 per cent adult occupant protection score, perfect full-width frontal result, and 85 per cent Safety Assist score place it among the most comprehensively rated dual-cab utes in Australia.

Come and see us at 103 Redland Bay Road, Capalaba, take the MG U9 for a test drive, and let our team help you find the right variant for your work and family needs. Call us on (07) 3245 2200 or visit BartonsMG.com.au to browse current stock or book a test drive online.

MG U9 For Sale in Capalaba