Leapmotor B05 earns five-star ANCAP rating: what UK buyers need to know before 30 September

The Leapmotor B05 has been awarded five stars by ANCAP — the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme — under the 2024 testing standard. The crash occupant protection score came in at 96%, placing the B05 among the strongest performers in this test cycle, alongside other competitively priced electric vehicles assessed in the same batch. The result confirms what the B05's specification suggested was possible, but owners and prospective buyers had been waiting to verify. At launch in July 2026, both the UK press and our own car page reported that Euro NCAP had not yet tested the B05. That caveat must now be read alongside this ANCAP outcome — it does not settle the UK picture entirely, but it is the most meaningful independent safety validation available for this car to date.

The 2024 testing protocol raised the bar for assisted driving and pedestrian detection compared with its predecessor. The B05 passed under these tougher conditions. That matters because any future Euro NCAP submission — which would produce the rating formally recognised by UK insurers — would use the same methodology. ANCAP and Euro NCAP share a common test standard; they are different organisations but aligned on what they measure and how.

ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Programme) and Euro NCAP are separate organisations that test cars in their respective regions. Since 2022 they have shared a common test protocol, and from 2024 both adopted the same updated methodology covering crash protection, safety assist systems, and vulnerable road user protection. This alignment means an ANCAP result and a Euro NCAP result — when tested to the same standard — are directly comparable in terms of what they measure.

The practical difference for a UK buyer is administrative rather than technical. UK insurers base insurance groups on Thatcham/ABI assessments, not directly on NCAP star ratings. Insurance groups for the B05 are not yet confirmed. Separately, UK used-car databases index Euro NCAP, not ANCAP, so the five-star result will not automatically appear on comparison sites until a Euro NCAP test is completed and published. For those whose primary concern is crash safety — rather than insurance classification — the ANCAP result offers meaningful, independently verified reassurance. For insurance purposes, buyers should contact insurers directly for a quote rather than assuming an insurance group from the NCAP star count.

A safety rating matters more when the brand that backs the warranty looks financially stable. Leapmotor's H1 2026 results are the most recent published financials and paint a credible picture: 210 million yuan in net profit (non-IFRS adjusted), 11.7% gross margin, and revenue up 57.2% year-on-year to 38.11 billion yuan. H1 2026 is the second consecutive half-year of profitability — H2 2025 was also profitable — ending a run of losses that concerned early buyers.

In August 2026, Leapmotor delivered 103,129 vehicles globally, exceeding Tesla's China wholesale figure of 86,166 for the third consecutive month. The Stellantis partnership — through which UK B05 sales are distributed — adds distribution infrastructure and a balance sheet backstop to the Leapmotor name. The B05's four-year vehicle warranty is the shortest among mainstream Chinese EV brands in the UK, but the ten-year battery warranty (matched to Leapmotor's internal confidence in the battery system) is among the strongest. The financial picture supports confidence in the company's ability to honour both.

The ANCAP result removes the B05's biggest unresolved question — crash safety — but it does not resolve the one caveat that drew near-universal comment in UK press tests: the lane-keep assist system. Autocar, Car Magazine, What Car? and Electrifying.com all noted that the B05's LKA is persistent, active at low speeds, and difficult to disable. Leapmotor has promised an OTA update but it had not been delivered as of the September 2026 intelligence cycle. Buyers should verify the status of that fix at the point of delivery.

The financial context matters too. The LEAP-GRANT — Leapmotor's own £1,500 customer discount — expires on 30 September 2026. At that point the B05 reverts to its full OTR pricing of £30,495 for the base variant and £31,995 for the upper trim. Leapmotor has not confirmed a renewal or extension. Buyers who were waiting for a safety result before committing now have one — and have approximately 25 days to act before the price rises.