Most Midsize SUVs Flunk IIHS Headlight Test

Only two of 37 midsize SUV/crossover vehicles tested by the Insurance Institute or Highway Safety offer “good” headlights able to illuminate a sufficient stretch of roadway at night.

IIHS says two of the 2017 models evaluated—the Hyundai Santa Fe and Volvo XC60 crossovers—earned its top rating. A dozen more had “acceptable” headlights, but 23 were condemned with “marginal” or “poor” illumination ratings.

The institute’s tests consider low- and high-beam performance on straight and curvy roadways. They also evaluate glare created for oncoming traffic. IIHS points out that headlights can vary with trim level and that the 37 vehicles it tested offer 79 headlamp options.

IIHS praises curve-adaptive headlamps on the Volvo XC60, which swivel to track curves in the road. But not all such systems are successful. The institute condemns the adaptive headlamps on the midsize Kia Sorrento for failing to provide adequate lighting ahead or to either side.

Even the high beams of the tested headlamps failed to provide enough illumination in several instances. In some cases, the headlights managed to combine poor lighting with excessive glare. IIHS says more than half the 79 headlamp combinations it tested generated too much glare.

The latest results mark IIHS’s fourth round of headlight ratings in less than two years. The institute reports a slight overall improvement compared with the other SUVs and pickup trucks it tested in 2016.