Only One Midsized Sedan Gets Top Scores in New Crash Test
Of seven popular models, just the Honda Accord got a rating of Good in a new IIHS test that evaluates safety for rear-seat passengers
In new crash tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), only one midsized sedan protected rear-seat passengers well enough to earn the highest overall rating of Good.
The recently redesigned 2023 Honda Accord, which starts at $27,295, came out tops in the latest round of testing from the safety group, which is funded by the insurance industry. The Subaru Outback—a wagonlike SUV that’s a sibling of the Legacy sedan—earned an Acceptable overall rating, while the Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry earned Marginal ratings. The Hyundai Sonata, Kia K5, and Volkswagen Jetta earned a Poor rating, the lowest overall.
Photo: IIHS Photo: IIHS
This is the fifth round of vehicles the IIHS has put through the updated evaluation, and the results are similar to tests on small and midsized SUVs, small cars, and pickup trucks. According to Emily Thomas, manager of auto safety at CR’s Auto Test Center, the results show that automakers need to pay more attention to rear-seat safety.
“Although drivers and front passengers have benefited from safety advances in recent years, those advances have not been equally distributed to backseat passengers,” Thomas says.
In fact, the IIHS reports that in newer vehicles, occupants wearing rear seat belts have a higher risk of fatal injury in a crash than those in front, not because the rear seat has become less safe but because front-seat safety has improved so much.
Photo: IIHS Photo: IIHS
CR also evaluates rear-seat safety features as part of our ratings program. These include child car seat and booster seat fit, crash-protection features intended for rear occupants of all ages and sizes, and technology designed to encourage rear seat belt use and prevent kids from dying in hot cars. One thing hasn’t changed: Regardless of how a car scores in these tests, the rear seat is still the safest place for children under 13.
Despite how few cars have excelled in the new rear-seat crash test, Thomas says that car buyers should expect newer models to perform better as automakers redesign their vehicles to achieve top ratings.
“It’s tests like these that encourage automakers to make design changes that improve safety for occupants,” she says.
