Two Toyota models earn IIHS Top Safety Pick

The 2010 Scion xB and 2010 Toyota Corolla are the first Toyota Motor Company models to earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award since the Institute strengthened the criteria by adding a new rollover test for 2010. To qualify for the award a vehicle must earn a score of Good on front-, side-, rear-, and roof-strength tests and be equipped with electronic stability control.

In the roof-strength test, which is sometimes considered a rollover test, the Corolla's roof supported 5.1 times the car's weight and the xB withstood a force equal to 6.8 times the car's weight. To earn a Good rollover rating, a roof has to support the equivalent of four times the vehicle's weight.

The xB and Corolla are two of seven small cars that earn the Top Safety Pick award so far this year, including the Honda Civic sedan (except Si, with optional ESC), Kia Soul, Nissan Cube, Subaru Impreza (except STi), and Volkswagen Golf (four-door models).

The Good rating on the Corolla brings positive safety news after reports of steering problems in some 2009 and 2010 models. Toyota and NHTSA are currently investigating the problem, which may result in a recall.

View more than 300 crash tests performed by the IIHS in our crash test video player. To aid with vehicle research, you'll also find crash tests within our model overview pages, within the Photos/Videos tab.