Only Two Small SUVs Earn Good Crash Rating In Updated IIHS Test

The IIHS adds a dummy to the back seat when performing this test.

iihs ford escape crash test

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Chris Bruce

By: Chris Bruce

Dec 13, 2022 at 1:33pm ET

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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety updates its moderate-overlap front crash test by adding an occupant to the rear. The agency tested this revised evaluation by putting 15 small SUVs through the assessment. Only two of them received the top score of Good. Nine got a Poor rating – the worst possible classification.

The Ford Escape and Volvo XC40 were the only two tested vehicles with a Good overall rating. The Toyota RAV4 earned an Acceptable score, which is one step lower in the classifications. The Audi Q3, Nissan Rogue, and Subaru Forester were Marginal, which is an additional level worse in the hierarchy. All of the rest got a Poor mark. All of the ratings are in the table below.

The previous version of the moderate-overlap front test had a vehicle traveling 40 miles per hour (64 kilometers per hour) strike an aluminum honeycomb. The impact zone was 40 percent of the vehicle's total width hitting the driver's side. The updated evaluation puts a crash dummy representing a small woman or 12-year-old child behind the driver.

All of the tested vehicles had Good overall ratings in the previous version of the crash evaluation. The additional requirement for rear occupant safety was what changed the rating in this re-assessment.

More IIHS Crash Tests:

2023 Kia EV6 Gets Highest Crash Test Rating From IIHS

Pickup Trucks With Autobrake Tech Have Far Less Rear-End Crashes: Study

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The IIHS changed the moderate-overlap front test because most vehicles received Good scores in the evaluation. However, automakers weren't making similar improvements for rear-seat occupants. According to the agency's data, a model from 2007 or newer have a 46 percent higher risk of fatal injury in the back than the front.

"Thanks to automakers’ improvements, drivers in most vehicles are nearly 50 percent less likely to be killed in a frontal crash today than they were 25 years ago. Our updated test is a challenge to manufacturers to bring those same benefits to the back seat," said IIHS President David Harkey.

Model Overall Rating In Updated Moderate Overlap Front Crash Test 2022-23 Ford Escape (Built After May 2022) Good 2021-23 Volvo XC40 Good 2021-23 Toyota RAV4 Acceptable 2021-23 Audi Q3 Marginal 2021-23 Nissan Rogue Marginal 2021-23 Subaru Forester Marginal 2021-22 Buick Encore Poor 2021-23 Chevrolet Equinox Poor 2021-22 Honda CR-V Poor 2021-22 Honda HR-V Poor 2021 Hyundai Tucson Poor 2021 Jeep Compass Poor 2021-23 Jeep Renegade Poor 2021-22 Mazda CX-5 Poor 2022-23 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Poor

Source: Insurance Institute For Highway Safety

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