Fail-safe? Corolla Cross two-star test puts accountability in the spotlight

More than 22,000 South Africans bought Toyota’s Corolla Cross last year. A new Global NCAP rating shows the best-selling SUV can be legally compliant and still fall short of modern safety expectations.

The Toyota Corolla Cross sells a reassuring story in South Africa (SA): locally built at Toyota’s Prospecton plant in KwaZulu-Natal, familiar badge, family-friendly positioning, runaway popularity. It looks like the kind of car you buy to reduce risk, not manage it.

That is why Global NCAP’s latest crash-test rating lands is seriously worrying. In January 2026, the Corolla Cross received only two stars for adult occupant protection. The bodyshell was rated stable, but the score reflects a safety reality that you might not pick up in the showroom: curtain airbags (side head protection) are not standard across all variants.

Two-star protection issue
This is not a slow-selling niche model. According to Naamsa, about 22,191 Corolla Cross units were sold in 2025. Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) accounted for 24.8% of the new-vehicle market, selling 148,124 vehicles overall.

When a vehicle sits this close to the centre of the market, specification decisions do not affect a handful of buyers. They shape risk for a large slice of everyday motorists.

Testing before tragedy

The Automobile Association (AA) and Global NCAP stress that the Corolla Cross tests were not triggered by consumer complaints. They were proactive.

“We identify popular vehicles and test them before problems arise,” the AA’s CEO Bobby Ramagwede told Daily Maverick. “Our aim is to make sure vehicles meet minimum safety standards and prevent avoidable injuries.”

That work falls under the #SaferCarsForAfrica AA and Global NCAP initiative created after concerns that vehicles built for African markets could arrive with fewer standard safety features than equivalent models sold in Europe.

Consumer reactions

On social media, particularly Reddit, users weighed in on the Corolla Cross’s Global NCAP rating, with several comments focused on testing methodology and Toyota’s safety specifications.

Reddit user TomorrowSufficient17 noted that the result reflects both the timing of the test and the vehicle’s equipment level: “It achieved that rating in 2021 and the test vehicle was only equipped with front airbags. Under the new test criteria the same vehicle would be capped at two stars.