Small Cars Exceed Expectations in Tougher IIHS Side Impact Testing

As a group, lower-slung vehicles, such as midsized sedans, have fared poorly in the new testing so far. Small and midsized SUVs did better. In order to receive a Good rating in either the old or the new side impact testing, a vehicle’s basic interior structure needs to hold up well, and the post-crash condition of two crash-test dummies installed in the driver’s seat and the rear seat directly behind the driver should indicate a low likelihood for severe or fatal injuries. In this test, both dummies are designed to simulate a small woman or 12-year-old child.

All of the models tested were already on the market, and those that performed worst in the tests served as a reminder of how updating crash standards leads manufacturers to build safer cars. 

“If you already own one of these small cars, the new IIHS side impact ratings don’t mean that your car has somehow become unsafe,” says Stockburger. “New and more challenging tests are simply the next progression in advancing crash protection, and this group demonstrates that some vehicles do it better than others. Ratings such as this will drive improvements on models that aren’t quite there yet.”

Automakers have known since 2018 that the safety organization’s standard side impact test was due for a change. But this is still a bit of a pop quiz because many models put through the test thus far were developed too recently to be engineered to meet these standards.

The previous version of the side impact test used a 3,300-pound sled traveling at 31 mph. This new protocol uses a 4,200-pound sled with a mass closer to current midsized SUVs moving at 37 mph, so the crash forces are much more extreme. The IIHS says the new simulated side impact crash generates 82 percent more energy than the former test.