Every year the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) puts vehicles through rigorous crash tests and then releases a list of cars, trucks and vans that meet the standards for their Top Safety Pick Plus and Top Safety Pick awards. The IIHS just recently announced the 2016 award winners, and 61 vehicles made the list – 48 were named Top Safety Pick Plus, and 13 received Top Safety Pick.
This number is fairly impressive considering that the standards were raised significantly for 2016. In order to meet the requirements for a Top Safety Pick award, vehicles must pass two different types of crash tests.
“Vehicles must now score a Good rating in the small overlap front test, and they still must score Good in the moderate overlap front crash, side crash, roof strength, and head restraint tests,” explains an article from Consumer Reports. Vehicles must also offer a front crash prevention system.
In order for a vehicle to receive the Top Safety Pick Plus rating, it must not only meet all of the Top Safety Pick requirements, but it also must have a front crash prevention system that is rated by IIHS as advanced or superior. These systems warn drivers when they’re too close to the car in front of them and also utilize automatic braking to prevent collisions.
One notable Top Safety Pick Plus winner is the Chrysler 200. It’s the only domestic car to receive IIHS’ highest award. Other domestic brand cars that received Top Safety Pick ratings include: the Chevy Equinox, the GMC Terrain and the Ford F-150 SuperCrew. Toyota leads the award count with nine vehicles earning Top Safety Pick Plus.
To see the complete list of winners, check out IIHS’ website.
At Bryant Motors, we encourage you to browse our new vehicle inventory and find the car, truck or SUV that will keep you and your loved ones safe on the road.
If you’re not sure where to start, check out our tips on How to Successfully Shop Online for a New or Used Car.
