The variety of autos incomes the Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Security’s highest security honor greater than doubled for 2021 fashions, even because the group continues efforts to strengthen its award standards.
Forty-nine autos obtained the High Security Decide+ award this yr, in contrast with 23 vehicles at this point in 2020. One other 41 autos earned the High Security Decide designation, bringing the full variety of winners to 90, in contrast with 64 a yr earlier, in response to the institute’s preliminary record of 2021 mannequin award winners.
IIHS stated it would proceed to check fashions all year long and can probably add to the list of winners.
“Producers are becoming extra autos with headlights that carry out nicely in our assessments, and in lots of circumstances they’re making these better-performing headlights normal gear. That is why we have seen a shift, and extra fashions are incomes our ‘plus’ award than the bottom award this yr,” IIHS President David Harkey instructed Automotive Information.
To qualify for a Top Safety Pick award, autos will need to have “good” rankings in all six of the institute’s crashworthiness tests. Autos additionally have to be obtainable with “good” or “acceptable” headlights and have front-crash prevention that the institute considers “superior” or “superior.”
High Security Decide+ is awarded to fashions that meet these necessities and now have “good” or “acceptable” headlights throughout all trim ranges and packages.
IIHS has been utilizing the two-tier award system since 2013 as a option to part in more durable necessities. For instance, it added headlight rankings to its award standards in 2017 and later began requiring the “good” or “acceptable” ratings for the High Security Decide+ award.
Hyundai Motor Group — the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis manufacturers — was acknowledged with essentially the most awards for 2021, incomes 12 High Security Decide honors and 5 High Security Decide+ awards.
Volvo earned 9 High Security Decide+ awards — essentially the most “pluses” of all automakers.
Two minivans — the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna — earned High Security Decide+ awards, whereas one pickup — the Ram 1500 — earned a High Security Decide award. The Ram 1500 is also the one winner from Stellantis, the worldwide automaker that formed in January from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Vehicles and PSA Group.
Final yr, no minivans or pickups certified for awards.
“Each minivans and pickups have typically been unavailable with pedestrian front-crash prevention programs in recent times, and pickups particularly have struggled with our headlight evaluations,” Harkey stated. “We’re glad to see two minivans … step up this yr, however it’s nonetheless disappointing to see just one pickup on the record because it’s such a well-liked class.”
One automobile from Ford Motor Co. — the Explorer massive crossover — earned a High Security Decide+ award. As well as, Ford’s Escape compact crossover and Edge midsize crossover in addition to the Lincoln Corsair compact crossover and Aviator massive crossover earned High Security Decide awards.
Simply two autos from Basic Motors certified: the Cadillac XT6 massive crossover, which earned a High Security Decide+ award, and the Chevrolet Equinox compact crossover, which earned a High Security Decide award.
“A number of GM fashions, together with the lately reintroduced Chevrolet Blazer and the GMC Terrain, miss out on account of headlight efficiency,” Harkey stated. “We have recurrently seen automakers replace headlights between redesigns, so it is doable GM might add to their award depend by addressing this shortcoming on a few of their fashions.”
The California-built Tesla Mannequin 3 additionally certified, incomes a High Security Decide+ award.
Mitsubishi has not earned a single award for 2021, the institute stated. The Eclipse Cross and Outlander crossovers practically made the grade however got here up brief within the pedestrian front-crash prevention evaluations, Harkey famous.