Out of the eleven subcompact cars that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently tested, only one achieved an ‘acceptable’ rating in the difficult small overlap crash test. This has prompted them to call “these tiny vehicles the worst performing group of any evaluated so far.”
They assessed the following models: Chevrolet Spark, Mazda 2, Kia Rio, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta (built after August 2013), new Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Versa Sedan, Toyota Prius C, Hyundai Accent, Fiat 500 and Honda Fit (not the new one).
Out of all those, it was the Korean-built Spark (introduced in 2012) that achieved the ‘acceptable’ rating and “along with good ratings in the Institute’s four other crashworthiness evaluations, earns the new minicar a 2014 TOP SAFETY PICK award.”
The reason why these vehicles performed so poorly is of course their lightweight nature which, as IIHS senior vice president for vehicle research, Joe Nolan, explained: “Small, lightweight vehicles have an inherent safety disadvantage. That’s why it’s even more important to choose one with the best occupant protection. Unfortunately, as a group, minicars aren’t performing as well as other vehicle categories in the small overlap crash.”
Of the bunch, the worst performing models were the Honda Fit and the Fiat 500, which along with the Hyundai Accent, bore a much larger risk of hip injuries than any of the others and had the weakest structure. In fact, it was this lack of structural strength that brought about the slew of bad results we see here.
However, this was to be expected, as none of the models were designed to withstand the treacherous small overlap test, a trial which is known for quickly sending even many larger and more solid cars to the bottom of the safety tables very quickly and violently.
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