More Automakers Make AEB a Standard Feature on Most Models

Automatic emergency braking saves lives and is being offered among a growing list of model lineups

By Benjamin Preston

December 8, 2022

The number of new cars with automatic emergency braking (AEB) as a standard feature has been rising over the last few years, with three more automakers—Mitsubishi, Nissan/Infiniti, and Stellantis becoming the latest to fulfill a 2016 pledge to include the feature across 95 percent or more of their model lineups. Stellantis—the company that owns such popular U.S. brands as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, as well as Alfa Romeo and Fiat—added the largest number of AEB-equipped new vehicles to its offerings, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a safety advocacy nonprofit. (Learn who owns which car brands.)

“The overwhelming number of vehicles produced with this critical safety technology means that consumers will receive safety benefits even if they aren’t actively shopping for them,” says Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center. “Additional capabilities that many of these systems also provide, such as pedestrian detection and the ability to function at highway speeds, have the potential to save even more lives."

IIHS and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) invited auto manufacturers to make the pledge in 2016. To satisfy their commitment, automakers’ forward collision warning (FCW) system must meet NHTSA’s 5-Star safety program’s standards for driver alerts, and the AEB must earn an Advanced rating in IIHS testing of the technology. To earn the IIHS Advanced rating, the AEB system has to slow the car by at least 10 mph in either the 12- or 25-mph test, and has to slow the car by 5 mph in testing at both speeds.

CR has long recommended buying cars equipped with AEB and includes bonus points in a vehicle’s Overall Score for models that provide AEB technology as standard on all trim levels for that model. AEB is proven to reduce both the frequency and severity of crashes and to save lives. Audi, BMW, Ford/Lincoln, Honda/Acura, Hyundai/Genesis, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan/Infiniti, Stellantis, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota/Lexus, Volkswagen, and Volvo had already fulfilled their commitment to include AEB across most of their model lineups, according to IIHS, although Honda/Acura’s percentage of AEB-equipped vehicles dipped briefly this year amid supply chain-related manufacturing shortages.

Fatalities among pedestrians and other vulnerable roadway users such as cyclists have been on the rise in recent years, according to NHTSA. CR awards bonus points to the safety scores of vehicles that have AEB systems with pedestrian detection technology, which is designed to stop or slow the vehicle for pedestrians ahead. To date, most AEB systems do provide that added protection.

IIHS reported last year that General Motors and Stellantis were lagging in their progress to equip more new vehicles with AEB technology. This week, IIHS noted that Stellantis’ move to include AEB in most of its models significantly increases the availability of affordable cars equipped with the technology. The organization says that General Motors has also increased production of AEB-equipped vehicles, boosting its share of AEB cars to 75 percent from 60 percent. Jaguar Land Rover and Porsche, although lower-volume producers, have made similar gains.

Soon, all new passenger vehicles in the U.S. will likely be required to come standard with automatic emergency braking. The November 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act instructs NHTSA to develop binding performance standards for systems that would alert drivers about the risk of a forward collision and automatically apply the brakes if the driver fails to do so. NHTSA plans to issue a proposed rule for both AEB and pedestrian detection before the end of 2022, with a final rule likely to follow at a later date.

Benjamin Preston

My reporting has taken me everywhere from Baghdad, Iraq, to the Detroit auto show, along the U.S.-Mexico border and everywhere in between. If my travels have taught me anything, it's that stuff—consumer products—is at the center of daily life all over the world. That's why I'm so jazzed to be shining light on what works, what doesn't, and how people can enrich their lives by being smarter consumers. When I'm not reporting, I can usually be found at home with my family, at the beach surfing, or in my driveway, wrenching on my hot rod '74 Olds sedan.