Car safety is taken seriously in the Philippines and in 2011 The New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asia (ASEAN NCAP) was established to carry out tests on all newly released cars.
The ASEAN NCAP decide which cars are to be tested and then select the most basic safety version of that vehicle available on the ASEAN market.
Based on recent tests (July 2015 – April 2016) the following 5 cars according to adult occupant compliance (AOC) and children occupant compliance (COC) rank as the safest cars to be driving whilst in the Philippines.
- Honda HR-V
Not the most loved car when it returned to the Philippine market especially when being compared to its popular ‘Big Brother’ the CR-V but HR-V has a new look and has started to get noticed. Honda has always taken safety seriously and the new HR-V has an impressive score of 72.2% for child safety and earned 14.79 points on adult occupant compliance, making this one of the safest cars available in the Philippines.
- Mitsubishi Strada
He Big and Powerful Mitsubishi Strada suits everybody’s needs. Reliable and Safe the Strada scored a very impressive 48% for child safety and an excellent 13.56 points for adult occupant compliance.
- Nissan Altima
The Nissan Altima is packed with safety features giving it a maximum 16 points for adult occupant compliance. It also comes with ISO FIX car seats and top tether latches which earn a very impressive 88% for child safety making the Altima one of the safest must drive cars in the Philippines.
- Ford Everest
Built to last, the Ford Everest oozes style and performance. Fitted with 7 airbags, anti-lock braking, electronic stability control among other safety features, the Ford Everest scored a maximum 16 points for adult occupant compliance. It also comes fitted with ISO FIX and top tether latches making the Ford Everest child friendly.
- Honda Jazz
The Honda Jazz faired an impressive 71% for child safety and offered up an even more impressive 16 points for adult occupant compliance. However, it has to be noted that these results are only available on the more ‘safer’ version of the Jazz.
The standard Honda Jazz comes fitted with two air bags whilst the safer variant comes with six. Other safety features like electronic stability control are also only available on the safer variant.
Other Vehicles
Other vehicles tested by the ASEAN NCAP include the Ford Ranger, which offered up 63% on child safety and 15.45 for adult occupant compliance, unfortunately, most of the safety features are only found on the more expensive variant.
The Toyota Innova proved a good all round safe vehicle with 14.10 points and 76%. The Innova comes with anti-locking brakes, seat belt reminders and ISO FIX seats with top tether latches for child safety seats.
Finally, the very popular Hyundai i10. The i10 can be found all over the Philippines, it is cheap to run and fuel efficient but when it comes to adult safety, it scored a very poor 4.40 points with the ASEAN NCAP keen to point out that dual airbags are not fitted as standard on all variants of the i10.
Child safety is a very good 79% however, mainly because of the fitted ISO FIX seats with top tether latches fitted.
Bottom Line
Being safe on the road is important and hopefully the above information has helped you for when choosing a car in the Philippines, however, you can never be sure of what might be lying around the corner and car insurance is just as important as the car you drive.
Be sure to check out insurancedirect.com.ph the exclusive marketer of People’s General Insurance for all the information needed for choosing the right car insurance when driving in the Philippines.
Happy Driving!!