Top Cars for Global Impact Safety
Every year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) releases videos on YouTube showcasing their crash tests. These videos not only satisfy our curiosity of watching cars get destroyed, but also shed light on the elements and techniques used in ensuring safety in new vehicles. Let’s take a look at the most popular IIHS crash test videos from the previous year.
Ranking at number five is the 2023 Rivian R1S, which stands out as the priciest car featured on this list and the sole all-electric option. The public’s fascination with this vehicle is understandable as Rivian is a fresh brand, and it’s intriguing to witness how electric cars fare against tests primarily intended for traditional gas-powered ones. The results? Not quite impressive, especially in the revised moderate overlap test, where the R1S received a “marginal” rating.
The next vehicle to be discussed is the 2023 Toyota Camry. Although it may not be the most thrilling car, it’s evident why this particular crash test garnered such attention. With nearly 300,000 units sold in the United States, the Camry holds the title of the best-selling sedan. This impressive statistic has piqued the interest of potential buyers, current owners, and even Uber passengers, all eager to discover how the Camry would perform in a crash. Similar to the Rivian, the Camry received high marks in all crash categories except for the updated moderate overlap test, where it received a “marginal” rating.
The IIHS’s evaluations of the Ford Maverick aim to address a pressing concern among pickup truck owners: Can a smaller truck still provide adequate safety? While the F-150 may be able to withstand most impacts, what about Ford’s compact unibody truck? The public’s curiosity was strong enough to propel the Maverick’s side crash test footage to third place in terms of views. Although it received a “good” rating for this test, its performance on the moderate overlap test was only deemed “acceptable.”
According to reports, Volvo is widely recognized as one of the most secure car manufacturers, making it a significant development whenever one of its vehicles does not excel in a crash test. This was recently the case with the XC60, as the IIHS’s revised side crash test resulted in the SUV receiving an “acceptable” rating, one level lower than the top rating of “good.” Despite this, the XC60 performed exceptionally well in all other tests, leading us to believe that it still maintains a high level of safety.
The Toyota Grand Highlander’s driver-side small overlap crash test was the most-viewed video from the IIHS in 2023. It seems that this video gained popularity for similar reasons as the Camry’s crash test, which was also widely watched. This could be attributed to the fact that many people are considering purchasing this car and are interested in its crash performance. As the top pick for large families, it is likely that parents are particularly curious about its safety. The Highlander received an “acceptable” rating in this test, which is the only one where it did not achieve a “good” rating.
