Honda Civic Only Small Car to Earn Top Rating in New Crash Test
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Fstop/Photodisc/Getty Images(ARLINGTON, Va.) — Among the best-selling small cars in the U.S., only six qualify for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick+ award in a new crash test. But one car stands above the competition, scoring the Institute’s top rating.
Of the 12 vehicles tested, only the two-door and four-door models of the Honda Civic earned a “good” rating.
“They earned the good rating because the structures held up and didn’t collapse in on the driver. The steering column was stable so the driver air bag could protect the head and chest of the driver,” says the Institute’s David Zuby.
[ CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL RESULTS FROM THE TEST ]
The IIHS put a dozen models to the test to see how they would perform in a small overlap front crash. The test “replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle strikes another vehicle or an object like a tree or a utility pole” while going 40 mph, according to the Institute.
The other cars to earn the Top Safety Pick+ award were the Dodge Dart, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and Scion tC. They each scored an “acceptable” rating.
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