Small Pickup Trucks Do Well in Tougher IIHS Side Impact Testing
5 out of 6 models received top or second-from-top ratings
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) began performing tougher new side impact crash testing last year designed to better replicate real-world situations involving impacts from SUVs and other popular large vehicles. The latest group of vehicles to go through the testing—small crew-cab pickup trucks—fared well overall.
The Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, and Honda Ridgeline received IIHS’s top rating of Good in the test. Two other models—the Nissan Frontier and Ford Ranger—received second-tier Acceptable ratings. Only one model—the Toyota Tacoma—received a Marginal rating.
“Overall, this was a solid performance from these vehicles,” says Becky Mueller, a senior research engineer for IIHS. “Their high ride height means that the barrier we use to represent a striking vehicle hits the strong doorsill structures directly. This likely prevented excessive intrusion into the occupant compartment, except in the case of the Tacoma.”
Photo: IIHS Photo: IIHS
All of the models IIHS has tested were already on the market, and those that performed worst in the tests so far serve as a reminder of how updating crash standards incentivizes manufacturers to build safer cars.
“The new IIHS side impact ratings don’t mean that your car has somehow become unsafe,” says Jen Stockburger, director of operations at CR’s Auto Test Center. “New and more challenging tests are simply the next progression in advancing crash protection, and this group demonstrates that some vehicles do it better than others. This will drive improvements on models that aren’t quite there yet.”
Automakers have known since 2018 that IIHS’s standard side impact test would become more stringent in an effort to improve occupant safety. But many models put through the test so far were developed too recently to be engineered to meet these standards.
The previous version of the side impact test used a 3,300-pound sled traveling at 31 mph. This new protocol uses a 4,200-pound sled with a mass more representative of current midsized SUVs moving at 37 mph, so the crash forces are much more extreme. The IIHS says the new simulated side impact crash generates 82 percent more energy than the former test.
CR will not yet remove vehicle recommendations or change scoring as a result of IIHS’s latest crash tests. As in the past, CR’s scorers consider how to apply these new ratings as more vehicles are tested.
Photo: IIHS Photo: IIHS
IIHS ratings, from best to worst, are Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor. Results of the new IIHS side impact testing are shown below, ranked by performance.
Good: 2022 Chevrolet Colorado, 2022 GMC Canyon, 2022 Honda Ridgeline
Acceptable: 2022 Ford Ranger, 2022 Nissan Frontier
Marginal: 2022 Toyota Tacoma
