Now in its sixth generation, the Elantra has met expectations by scoring a maximum safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
During the latest crash test session, the US-spec model has earned good ratings across-the-board for the five categories that include roof strength, head restraints, moderate overlap front, side, and the challenging small overlap front.
In the latter, the 2017 Hyundai Elantra has been seen as a significant improvement, as the previous generation was rated acceptable due to its structure that did not fare well in the test, witnessing maximum intrusion into the occupant space of 9 inches (229 mm), while in the latest iteration compact car, it was only 2 inches (51 mm).
The Top Safety Pick Plus rating only applies to Elantras produced after March 2016, when additional modifications that include strengthening the junction between the door sill and the hinge pillar and updating the frontal airbag were made, as the IIHS explains.
Its optional front crash prevention system, which helped it avoid a collision in the 12 mph (19 km/h) track test and cut the impact by an average of 22 mph (35 km/h) in the 25 mph (40 km/h) test, also helped propel the 2017 Hyundai Elantra into the Top Safety Pick Plus.
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