The Toyota Prius received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s “Top Safety Pick” award based on front, side, and rear crash testing. The rating dispels the myth that high fuel efficiency always requires a compromise in terms safety.
To earn the Insurance Institute’s “Top Safety Pick,” a vehicle has to earn good ratings in all three tests—and must offer electronic stability control, which comes standard on all Prius models.
The Toyota Prius, a midsize sedan with a combined city/highway rating of 50 mpg, is the most fuel-efficient car on the market today.
The insurance group’s side test simulates a collision with an SUV or pickup truck moving at 31 mph. The frontal test mimics 40 mph crashes with vehicles of the same weight as the test car. The IIHS also simulates a stationary vehicle being rear-ended by a vehicle going 20 mph. Side crash test results apply no matter what size vehicles you are comparing, but front impact results are meaningful only when comparing models of about the same weight.
In the Prius’s front crash test, the driver dummy’s head hit the pillar between the front and back windows, but the impact was relatively low. The dummy’s head suffered slightly more of an impact when it hit the steering wheel through the air bag.