Used Car Safety Report
The Volkswagen Beetle has been awarded a 2 star Driver Protection rating in the latest Used Car Safety Rating (UCSR) report. UCSR are reported annually by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC). Ratings are estimated from data on real crashes reported to police in Australia and New Zealand and provide a very high level of confidence. The UCSR report classifies cars according to where their rating lies in relation to a best performance benchmark. The Driver Protection rating measures the relative safety of cars in preventing serious injury to their own drivers in crashes.
Driver Protection Rating
Rating
|
Result
|
|
Excellent
|
|
Good
|
|
Marginal
|
|
Poor
|
|
Very Poor
|
For further information on the UCSR please click here.
If you would like to view the new car safety rating produced by ANCAP please see the archived report below:

Crash Test | Score | Maximum Score |
---|
Overall Score | 26.45 | out of 34 |
Frontal Offset test | 10.45 | out of 16 |
Side impact test | 16 | out of 16 |
Pole test (Optional) | 0 | out of 2 |
Bonus points | 0 | out of 0 |
Data suplied by euroNCAP
The Volkswagen Beetle (LHD) was introduced in Europe late in 1998 and released in Australia in 2000.
The VW BEETLE performed reasonably well in the offset crash test (score 10.45 out of 16). The passenger compartment was in good shape after the crash. Head protection was good but both driver and passenger had marginal protection from serious chest injury. Protection from serious leg injury was marginal for the driver. The vehicle earned a full 16 points in the side impact crash test.
Important note: The left-hand-drive European model was tested by EuroNCAP. Australasian specifications may vary and therefore models sold in Australasia might provide different levels of protection to those described on this page.
Safety Feature Summary
The safety feature information below is subject to change without notice. For up to date safety feature specifications for all variants, please see the safety feature table to the right or contact the manufacturer.
Dual front and side airbags are standard equipment. The front seat belt buckles are mounted on the seats and the upper anchorages are adjustable. These features improve the fit of the seat belt. Pretensioners are fitted to front seat belts to reduce slack in the event of a severe crash.
ANCAP & UCSR Rating ExplainedThis shows the differences between the rating processes.
Find out more
Frontal Offset Test Results
Region
|
Score
|
Score Type
|
Maximum Score
|
Frontal Offset*
|
10.45
|
pts
|
(out of
16)
|
Head/Neck
|
|
pts
|
|
Chest
|
|
pts
|
|
Upper Legs
|
|
pts
|
|
Lower Legs
|
|
pts
|
|
The passenger compartment held its shape very well in the offset crash test. The brake pedal moved rearwards by 26mm. The steering wheel hub moved rearwards 36mm and upwards 17mm . The front ("A") pillar moved 26mm rearwards. The width of the driver's doorway shortened by 26mm. All doors remained closed during the crash. After the crash high manual effort was required to fully open the driver’s door.
The airbag cushioned the head of the driver and contact was stable. The passenger was also well protected by an airbag. Aggressive structures within the driver and passenger knee impact zones were judged to be insufficiently protected and points were lost.
Side Impact Test Results
Region
|
Score
|
Score Type
|
Maximum Score
|
Side Impact*
|
16
|
pts
|
(out of
16)
|
Head
|
4
|
pts
|
|
Chest
|
4
|
pts
|
|
Abdomen
|
4
|
pts
|
|
Pelvis
|
4
|
pts
|
|
The side airbags worked well and protection from serious injury was good.
The vehicle was not eligible for a Pole Impact Test since it did not have head-protecting side airbags. This test can earn eligible vehicles an extra two points, giving a maximum possible overall score of 34 points.
Pedestrian Summary
14.00 points out of 36 (38.9%)
Child head impacts 8 pts; adult head impacts 6 pts; Upper and lower legs zero pts.
Pedestrian Rating Explained
The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) provides consumers with independent and transparent information on the level of occupant and pedestrian protection provided by different new car models, in the most common types of crashes, through its star rating program.
Find out more
Green Vehicle Guide
Combined Fuel Consumption
|
CO2
|
Greenhouse Rating
|
Air Pollution Rating
|
Overall Rating
|
7.7 L/100km
|
185 g/km
|
|
|
|
Base Model Safety Features
Legend

Standard

Not Available

Optional

No Information
The latest UCSR are based on statistics collected from car crashes in Australia and New Zealand between 1990 and 2017, where someone was killed or seriously injured. Over eight million police reported crashes were analysed in the latest UCSR.