Ford F-150 Earns ANCAP Platinum ADAS Rating, Beats RAM 1500 and LandCruiser 79

Image credit: Ford Australia

ANCAP has published its first-ever Large Utilities ADAS Safety Comparison, awarding the Ford F-150 the top Platinum 81% grading and beating the RAM 1500, Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Toyota Tundra in head-to-head collision-avoidance testing. The release is the first independent safety assessment of this class of vehicle in Australia.

The rating applies to the F-150 Platinum and Lariat variants built from January 2025 and on sale in Australia from October 2025. The Series P702 (MY24) F-150 is converted right-hand-drive locally by RMA Automotive on behalf of Ford Australia. F-150 XLT is excluded from the rating because of a different sensor and airbag setup.

Not a 5-star rating: what Platinum actually means

This is not a traditional 1-5 star ANCAP rating. ANCAP has historically tested passenger cars, SUVs and smaller utes under 3.5 tonnes GVM. Large utilities like the F-150 (3,315 kg GVM, 7,365 kg GCM) fall into the heavier NB category — outside ANCAP's traditional 5-star scope. To address that, ANCAP launched a new ADAS-focused framework specifically for large utes, awarding one of five overall gradings:

• PLATINUM 80-100%
• GOLD 60-79%
• SILVER 40-59%
• BRONZE 20-39%
• NOT RECOMMENDED 0-19%

The overall grade is set by the lower of two pillars (Vulnerable Road User Protection + Safety Assist) so a vehicle needs to be strong in both to earn Platinum. ANCAP refers to this as the "balance principle". The F-150 came in at 82% VRU and 81% Safety Assist — narrowly the strongest result in both areas.

How the 5 utes ranked

*Silverado and Tundra overall gradings as reported by ANCAP. We'll add the exact figures once full pages of the report are processed.

Image credit: RAM Trucks Australia

Why the F-150 won

ANCAP's detailed report calls out three specific strengths of the F-150's collision-avoidance system:

• Car-to-car AEB: "Highest level of performance of all models tested." Avoided rear-end collisions with stationary, braking and slower-moving cars in front, including while turning.
• Car-to-cyclist AEB: "Excellent." Avoided collisions in every test scenario except one (a 10 km/h F-150 with a cyclist crossing at 20 km/h).
• Car-to-motorcyclist AEB: Detection and avoidance "above that observed with other models tested." Avoided collisions with stationary and braking motorcyclists, and when turning right in front of an oncoming motorcyclist.

The Lariat and Platinum F-150 also ship with Evasive Steering Assistance, which adds extra steering torque when the driver swerves to avoid a collision — a feature absent from the RAM 1500, LandCruiser 79 and Silverado tested. The system also activates hazard lights and reduces speed automatically if the driver becomes inattentive — ANCAP noted this advanced post-detection sequence wasn't seen on any other model in the test.

The only meaningful F-150 weak point: reverse AEB (Backover) wasn't assessed because the manufacturer didn't predict performance, and Occupant Status Monitoring was rated Marginal at 0.5/1.5.

RAM 1500: Gold thanks to reverse AEB

The RAM 1500 Limited (Series DT MY25, on sale March 2025 onwards) earned Gold 70%. ANCAP highlighted that the RAM is the only model in the entire test fitted with pedestrian-detecting reverse AEB — a feature that addresses the high-risk scenario of a child or pedestrian behind a large pickup that's reversing. Even though its current performance was rated Weak, ANCAP flagged the inclusion as "a positive feature with the potential to offer protection in high-risk driveways and carparks."

The RAM lost ground vs the F-150 on car-to-motorcyclist scenarios (turning across an oncoming motorcyclist scored Poor) and on the absence of intelligent seat belt reminders for the second row.

LandCruiser 79: Silver, but only for Single + Double Cab

The Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series (J7 MY24, January 2024 onwards) earned Silver 55%. Importantly, the rating only applies to Single Cab and Double Cab variants — the LC79 Wagon and Troop Carrier are not covered. The LC70 performed reasonably well in car-to-car AEB but lost significant points for not having lane support (no LKA, no ELK), no blind spot monitoring, no intelligent seat belt reminders, and no supplementary warning systems.

That LC70 result will read as a wake-up call to anyone shopping the segment thinking the Toyota badge automatically equals best-in-class safety. On collision-avoidance technology in 2025, the F-150 is ahead by a meaningful margin.

Image credit: Toyota Australia

What this means for buyers

Three practical takeaways:

• If active safety is a priority and you're shopping the large-ute segment, the F-150 Platinum or Lariat is currently the strongest pick on independent testing. Note: F-150 XLT is excluded from this rating.
• If you're cross-shopping the F-150 against the RAM 1500, the F-150 wins outright on the ANCAP scoresheet — but the RAM 1500 has reverse AEB which the F-150 doesn't.
• If you're buying a LandCruiser 70 Single or Double Cab, accept that active safety technology lags well behind the American pickups. The LC79 is still a 5-star ANCAP crash-rated vehicle under the traditional rating, but its ADAS specification is the segment's weakest.

Where it fits in the bigger picture

Large utes (NB category, GCM over 7 tonnes) accounted for over 22,500 Australian new-car sales in 2024. The segment grew 270% from 2019 to 2024 — by far the fastest-growing segment in the Australian new-car market. Until now, none of these vehicles held an ANCAP rating because they fall outside the traditional 5-star test scope.

ANCAP has flagged that this inaugural ADAS assessment is the first of a broader framework. Crash testing of the same vehicles is "being considered" for future assessments, which would give buyers an even more complete picture. For now, the ADAS rating is the best independent benchmark available.

Compare these utes on our Best Towing Vehicles in Australia guide. For background on how ANCAP ratings work, read ANCAP Safety Ratings Explained. Or stack any two large utes head-to-head on our live comparison tool.