crash tests
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Are top safety ratings more important for electric cars or fuel-cell vehicles than for gasoline models?
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NHTSA to Tesla: Stop claiming your cars are the safest
Federal regulators said that the claims have "intention to mislead the public," Tesla says they're sound.
Eric C. Evarts -
2019 Honda Insight hybrid earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award
In its latest round of safety tests, the IIHS has awarded the 2019 Honda Insight hybrid its Top Safety Pick+ award. The Top Safety Pick+ is the Institute's highest award, given to cars that perform well in a wide battery of crashes, headlight evaluations, and automatic emergency braking tests. The...
Eric C. Evarts -
2018 Kia Niro hybrid nets top Safety Pick+ award, when properly equipped
Tick all the right boxes and the 2018 Kia Niro earns a Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS, the crash-testing agency said last week. To get to the highest-rated Niro, buyers need to opt for LED headlights and automatic emergency braking, features that can be paired together only on the Niro EX...
Andrew Ganz -
Tesla slams IIHS after 'Acceptable' Model S test, older NHTSA ratings cited in response
Tesla slams IIHS after 'Acceptable' Model S test, cites older NHTSA ratings in response
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model X gets uniform 5-star safety ratings from NHTSA, first SUV to do so
Tesla's Model X has secured a major accomplishment: it is officially the first SUV to receive 5-star crash-test ratings in every single category. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the Model X uniform 5-star ratings, which Tesla says is due to the design of the all-electric...
Sean Szymkowski -
Two of the most prominent electric cars have missed out on the highest award given for vehicle safety by the influential IIHS: Top Safety Pick+. Funded by the insurance industry, the IIHS—which operates independently of the federal government—says that neither the BMW i3 nor the Tesla Model S performed well enough in its barrage of instrumented and measured tests to earn its top award. The i3 turned in a strong performance in the group's four main crash tests—small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side impact, and roof strength. DON'T MISS: NHTSA closes Autopilot...
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IIHS names 2017 Chevrolet Volt a Top Safety Pick+
The 2017 Chevrolet Volt is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+
Stephen Edelstein -
Some small SUVs may stint front passengers on safety: IIHS
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that small crossovers don't provide equal protection to drivers and front passengers in small front overlap crash tests.
Stephen Edelstein -
2016 Toyota Prius hybrid gets good IIHS, NHTSA crash safety scores
The 2016 Toyota Prius earned a five-star rating from the NHTSA and Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS.
Stephen Edelstein -
2016 Honda HR-V Small Crossover Utility Gets Highest Safety Scores
The 2016 Honda HR-V received a "5-Star Overall Vehicle Score" from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 Ford F-150 Aluminum-Body Pickup: Mixed IIHS Safety Scores
The 2015 Ford F-150 gets mixed results in IIHS crash testing, with higher repair costs.
Stephen Edelstein -
Cutting weight can be one of the most effective tactics to increase fuel economy, but it doesn't necessarily come cheap. The 2015 Ford F-150 pickup, with its aluminum body and bed mounted on a conventional steel frame, represents a huge gamble by Ford on its highest-volume vehicle line. The company says that some models of the full-size pickup are as much as 700 pounds lighter than their steel counterparts, allowing it to fit smaller EcoBoost engines. DON'T MISS: 2015 Ford F-150 Team Fights Fear Of Aluminum Toughness, Repair, Cost But one question about the aluminum F-150--its ability to...
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2015 Chevrolet Trax, Buick Encore Small SUVs Get IIHS Top Safety Pick Label
Both General Motors subcompact crossovers received the IIHS Top Safety Pick rating.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 Honda Fit Gets Highest Safety Rating From NHTSA
The 2015 Honda Fit earned a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score from the NHTSA.
Stephen Edelstein -
How To Boost Efficiency: Lighter Cars That Carry More People
Efficiency is a many-splendored thing, and cutting vehicle weight has multiple beneficial effects. A lighter car requires less energy to move, meaning engine output can be lower. This, in turn, requires smaller, lighter powertrain components--which require less-beefy suspensions, further reducing...
John Voelcker -
2015 Honda Fit: Early Models To Get Better Bumpers For Crash Safety Boost
Early-production 2015 Honda Fit hatchbacks will be retrofitted with stronger bumper-beam welds.
Stephen Edelstein -
IIHS Tests Small Cars On Small Overlap: Volt Does OK, Leaf 'Struggles'
One of the toughest crash tests a car can face is the new small-frontal-overlap, introduced by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in 2012. By crashing a vehicle so that only 25 percent of its front end contacts the barrier, far greater forces are transmitted through the car than in a...
Antony Ingram -
Minicars are the worst-scoring group in the small-overlap frontal crash test, the IIHS says.
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2014 Toyota Prius Safety Rating Lowered To Four Stars From Five
A change in Federal crash-test procedures downgraded the safety rating of Toyota's iconic hybrid.
Stephen Edelstein -
Bad Day For Tesla: Sales VP Blankenship Out, NHTSA Threat
There must be days where Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk feels his multiple burdens more acutely than others. Today may be one, because yesterday was not a good day for Tesla. First, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a new set of publicity rules for its crash-testing...
John Voelcker -
IIHS Unveils First Frontal-Crash Protection Ratings; 13 Of 74 High-Rated
The IIHS is now rating systems that autonomously intervene to help prevent crashes.
Stephen Edelstein -
2013 Tesla Model S Crash Tests: What Cars To Compare It To?
Earlier this week, trumpets were blown for Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA], whose Model S luxury electric sedan attained the highest-ever rating in the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration's crash tests. It's an impressive achievement, particularly for such a young automaker. And while the feds...
Antony Ingram -
NHTSA Rebukes Tesla Over Non-Existent "5.4-Star" Safety Rating
Small and startup companies often resort to attention-getting publicity to further their causes. Occasionally they get their wrist slapped for overreaching. And that's what happened to Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] yesterday. In a statement both on its website and the SaferCar.gov site, the National...
John Voelcker