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Chevy Volt Tops Ratings in Latest IIHS Crash Tests
The Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid emerged with the highest "top safety pick plus" rating among the latest batch of 2014 model small cars crash-tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
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The Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid emerged with the highest "top safety pick plus" rating among the latest batch of 2014 model small cars crash-tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The Volt was outscored by the Mini Cooper Countryman four-door minicar in the IIHS tests. But the Countryman garnered a second-best "top safety pick" designation because it doesn't offer a front crash prevention system.
Four other models scored slightly lower than the Volt and Countryman but also won second-best honors: the Ford C-Max Hybrid people mover, Mitsubishi Lancer sedan and Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ sport coupes.
Four more small cars flunked IIHS's severe small overlap front crash, which requires only 25% of the vehicle's front structure to absorb all the energy of an impact with a rigid object at 40 mph. The test is intended to measure damage when the corner of a car hits a tree or pole or is clipped by an oncoming vehicle.
Models branded with a "poor" rating in the small overlap front crash test are the Fiat 500L city car, Nissan Juke mini-crossover, Nissan Leaf electric sedan and Mazda5 small minivan. IIHS notes that worst-scoring Mazda5 limped away with "poor" ratings in five of the seven areas evaluated.
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