√2023 Volkswagen Golf: Centre airbag delivers updated five-star rating

The Volkswagen Golf has been awarded an updated five-star rating by Europe’s safety authority after the hatchback gained a centre airbag. The result is likely to be adopted locally when the new model arrives next month.

The 2023 Volkswagen Golf has received an updated five-star safety rating from Europe’s independent safety authority thanks to a new centre airbag – and the result is expected to be adopted in Australia.

In June 2022, Volkswagen Australia announced the updated Golf would be fitted with a centre airbag between the front seats – designed to prevent front occupants colliding in a severe side-impact crash – when it arrives in showrooms next month.

The eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf was last tested by the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) in 2019, earning a five-star rating before the new-car safety body introduced new tests a year later.

In 2020, Euro NCAP updated its procedures to include more stringent standards across 14 of its 21 tests.

In a media statement, a spokesperson for the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) told Drive it will review the updated Volkswagen Golf’s local safety rating closer to its Australian arrival in November 2022.

“ANCAP will be reviewing the specification of locally-supplied upgraded Volkswagen Golf models and, should the specification align with that of the model re-rated by Euro NCAP, look to publish a rating closer to the time of local market arrival,” the ANCAP spokesperson said.

In April 2022, ANCAP re-issued the Volkswagen Polo’s five-star rating after the city-sized hatchback received a centre airbag as a part of a mid-life update.

Pictured: the 2021 Volkswagen Golf R-Line

Euro NCAP announced the 2023 Volkswagen Golf would retain its five-star safety rating despite losing points across the adult occupant, child occupant and vulnerable road user (pedestrian) protection categories, due to the new test procedures.

Despite the inclusion of a centre airbag between the driver and passenger, the Volkswagen Golf’s adult occupant protection rating fell from 95 per cent to 88 per cent – having been penalised by 3.3 points compared to its previous result in the frontal impact test.

The Volkswagen Golf’s child occupant protection and pedestrian protection scores also decreased by two per cent each on account of the new testing procedures.

An updated and enhanced low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system allowed the Volkswagen Golf to gain four per cent across testing of its safety assistance technology.

As previously reported, the 2023 Volkswagen Golf is due to arrive in Australian showrooms next month, priced from $34,690 plus on-road costs.

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