Crash Tests Results—
How Safe is Your Favorite Vehicle?
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and many
other safety authorities run crash tests every year to determine how well
vehicles protect occupants in frontal, side, and rear collisions. Your
vehicle's crash-test report card is a good indicator of how it will perform in
an accident, which in turn is a good indicator of how much you can save when
you buy your auto insurance coverage.
When you're car shopping, be sure to find out how well the
vehicle you're interested in holds up in collision simulations. Good
performance in these crash tests is typically a prominent selling feature. Visit
the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to
find out how well your vehicle (or prospective vehicle) will protect you in an
accident.
If you’re currently on the market for a new vehicle, Esurance
offers information on some of the 2009 vehicles that performed well in front,
side, and rear crash tests, as reported by the IIHS. In 2009, 72 vehicles earned
their Top Safety Pick – nearly double the number of 2008 recipients!
Small Passenger Cars
Small cars generally offer less protection than heavier cars
because they don't have as much structure to absorb the impact of a crash.
Nevertheless, 6 lightweight vehicles made the cut, including:
- Honda
Civic 4-door with optional ESC
- Mitsubishi
Lancer with optional ESC
- Scion
xB
- Subaru Impreza with optional ESC
- Toyota
Corolla with optional ESC
- Volkswagen
Rabbit 4-door
Midsize
Passenger Cars
Good news for those of you looking for both safety and
comfort – midsize passenger cars received Top Safety Picks for the following 13
vehicles:
- Acura
TL and TSX
- Audi
A3 and A4
- BMW
3 series 3-door
- Ford
Fusion with optional ESC
- Honda
Accord 4-door
- Mercedes
C class
- Mercury
Milan with optional ESC
- Saab
9-3
- Subaru
Legacy
- Volkswagen
Jetta and Passat
Large
Passenger Cars
Large passenger cars that earned top safety marks were the
Acura RL, Audi A6, Cadillac CTS, Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS, Mercury Sable,
Toyota Avalon, and the Volvo S80.
Minivans
The Honda Odyssey, the Hyundai Entourage, and the Kia Sedona
each scored wins for their safety capability.
Small
SUVs
A category that garnered only a single Top Safety Pick in
2008, small SUVs increased their safety rankings dramatically in 2009 with 10
winners.
- Honda
Element and CRV
- Ford
Escape
- Mazda
Tribute
- Mercury
Mariner
- Mitsubishi
Outlander
- Nissan
Rogue
- Subaru
Forester
- Toyota
RAV4
- Volkswagen
Tiguan
Midsize
SUVs
The number of Midsize SUVs named Top Safety Picks more than
tripled in 2009 compared to 2008. Winners included:
- Acura
MDX and RDX
- BMW
X3 and X5
- Ford
Edge, Flex, and Taurus X
- Honda
Pilot
- Hyundai
Santa Fe and Veracruz
- Infiniti
EX35
- Lincoln
MKX
- Mercedes
M class
- Nissan
Murano
- Saturn
VUE
- Subaru
Tribeca
- Toyota
FJ Cruiser and Highlander
- Volvo
XC90
Large
SUVs
For the first time ever, large SUVs made the list of Top
Safety Picks. According to the 2009 report, the Audi Q7, Buick Enclave,
Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook all measured up to required
safety standards.
Pickups
The Toyota Tacoma earned the only Top Safety Pick given to
small pickups, while the Ford F-150, the Honda Ridgeline, and the Toyota Tundra
were all winners in the large pickup category.
Visit Esurance's
Auto Insurance Learning Center for more on how safety features can save
your life and help you save on auto insurance.
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