IVASA

WHAT IS IVASA?

The Intelligent Vehicle Advanced Safety Assessment (IVASA) is the first dedicated intelligent vehicle assessment programme in the ASEAN region. Developed by ASEAN NCAP, IVASA evaluates the safety, performance and reliability of advanced and intelligent driving technologies available in market.

IVASA was officially introduced during the IVASA Introduction Ceremony & Technical Meeting, held in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on 28 July 2026. The event marked an important milestone in ASEAN NCAP’s efforts to promote safer and smarter mobility across the region.

IVASA mainly focuses on vehicles equipped with SAE Level 2 (L2) and Level 2+ (L2+) driving automation technologies, where the vehicle can assist with steering, acceleration and braking, while the driver remains responsible for monitoring the road and the driving task.

Road conditions in ASEAN are unique and often complex. The region has a wide variety of vehicles, high motorcycle usage, vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and motorcyclists and different driving behaviours.

IVASA was therefore developed to assess how intelligent driving technologies perform under real-world ASEAN driving conditions, ensuring that these systems are suitable, safe and effective for the region.

ASEAN NCAP has appointed the China Automotive Engineering Research Institute (CAERI) as the testing partner for IVASA. Together, ASEAN NCAP and CAERI developed an assessment framework covering three key areas:

WHAT DOES IVASA ASSESS?

IVASA TESTING IN MALAYSIA AND CHINA

For the first phase of IVASA assessment, it will combines real-world on-road testing in Malaysia with controlled laboratory and test-facility assessments at CAERI in China.

ON-ROAD TESTING — MALAYSIA

Vehicles are tested on Malaysian public roads to evaluate how intelligent driving systems perform under actual ASEAN traffic conditions.

The assessment includes urban and highway driving environments, where vehicles may encounter motorcycles, pedestrians, different vehicle types, road features and varying traffic situations.

This on-road assessment helps determine the system’s real-world performance, stability and ability to respond safely to local driving conditions.

LABORATORY & CONTROLLED TESTING — CAERI, CHINA

IVASA also conducts technical testing at CAERI’s testing facilities in China.

These controlled tests allow the performance of intelligent driving and safety systems to be evaluated under standardised and repeatable test conditions.

The testing at CAERI complements the real-world assessment in Malaysia by providing detailed technical evaluation of the vehicle’s intelligent driving technologies.

Together, the Malaysia on-road tests and CAERI testing in China provide a more comprehensive assessment of how intelligent vehicle technologies perform in both real-world and controlled environments.

IVASA PERFORMANCE LEVELS

Unlike the traditional ASEAN NCAP star-rating system, IVASA is a separate “beyond rating” initiative focusing specifically on intelligent vehicle technologies. IVASA performance is classified into five levels:

This approach provides consumers with clearer information about the performance of intelligent vehicle technologies while helping vehicle manufacturers identify areas for further improvement.