Minicars perform poorly in front crash test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently conducted a front crash test on a group of minicars from popular automotive brands. Of the 11 minicars tested, only one achieved an “Acceptable” rating.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s small overlap front crash test replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or an object such as a tree or utility pole. In the test, 25 percent of a vehicle’s front end on the driver’s side strikes a rigid barrier at 40 mph.

mini cars IIHS

11 minicars (from 2013 or 2014 models) went through this test and only the Chevrolet Spark achieved an overall rating of “Acceptable” (highest is Good) and received the 2014 IIHS Top Safety Pick in this category. The Mazda 2, Kia Rio, Toyota Yaris, and the 2014 Ford Fiesta received “Marginal” ratings. While the 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Versa sedan, Toyota Prius c, Hyundai Accent, Fiat 500, and Honda Fit, received “Poor” ratings. See table below:

2014 IIHS minicars

“Small, lightweight vehicles have an inherent safety disadvantage. That’s why it’s even more important to choose one with the best occupant protection,” says Joe Nolan, IIHS senior vice president for vehicle research.

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Louie Diangson
26 Comments
  1. Safety should always be a priority, especially when buying a vehicle. Be sure that the car you are buying passed a rigorous safety test. And as much as possible, get a comprehensive car insurance for your protection.

  2. Hello colleagues, its wonderful article about cultureand entirely explained, keep it up all the time.

  3. Usapang auto na rin naman, ano ba mas maganda: innova vs adventure vs crosswind?
    Papalitan ko na po kasi ung kotse ko ng mas malaki…

    • dagdag mo pa ung magandang resale value at mababang maintenance =))

    • Innova FTW! trust me di ka magsisisi dito bukod sa reliable na eh mas maganda pa…di ganun kaingay kung ikukumpara mo sa crosswind at mas malaki kumpara sa adventure…mejo stiff lng ung ride ng innova para saken pero di mo naman mapapansin un nakasakay nako sa 2013 innova 2.5 E Diesel =)

    • Hi po i think toyota innova po dahil po sa una toyota ang brand maganda ang built ng exterior or design, the engine too napaka astig they have two variants the D4-D(diesel) and VVt-i(gasoline) tsaka very durable po kung icocompare mo sa adventure at crosswind. Ang adventure bumababa yung likod kapag loaded ang car especially ng tao ang crosswind naman po kung mapapansin niyo halos lahat eh maitim ang usok na pinoproduce parang smoke velching ba kahit bago pa…

  4. isa lang napatunayan ko talaga na mabilis mayupi ang toyota.. good thing i choose mazda 2 as my first car,i had multiple accident isa siguro yung pinaka malala yung bumanga ako sa pajero.. na sumabog yung gulong ko,nadislocate steering pero in form pa rin sya..di nga lang lumabas yung air bag.. but still i trust mazda pagdating sa built..

    • @pak using the same email but different username?awww eto piso bili ka ng kausap mo lol anyway d mo pedeng ikumpara ng ganyan…di hamak na mas marami ang toyota cars kaysa sa mazda kaya natural na mas maraming toyota ang naaaksidente

    • at least yung mazda nya subok na,ilang toyota cars ba naaaksidente sa mga highway at ilan ang namamatay na sakay nun kumpara mo sa mga mazda cars???

    • wag mong nilalahat ang toyota cars…tska payo ko sau wag k na lng magdrive may balat k ata sa pwet hahaha multiple accidents amf magpadrive k n lng lol

  5. I don’t think this is an issue in a country like the Philippines. It’s more practical to use these cars for city driving, where roads like EDSA have very low average speeds. They are more economical than large sedans in terms of gas mileage. You won’t really meet scenarios like those used in crash tests.

    Oh and please stick to mobile tech reviews. Automotives are not really the competency of this site.

    • but remember cars here in the philippines are bought as a necessity not as a want and buyers nowadays are already practical…so kung ang gusto ng tao ay isang sasakyan na magtatransport sa kanila kahit sang lugar sa pinas ok na ang minicar…atska d naman to mobile tech site tech site to kaya dapat may automotiverelated articles din…d ganun kadetalyado ang articles pag tungkol sa sasakyan pero nahahasa naman yan e tska d lahat ng tao ang hanap ay napakadetalyadong article.

  6. anyway expected naman na di magiging outstanding ang safety performance ng hatchbacks at subcompact sedans,mas maikli ang sasakyan = mas maikli ang crumple zone at mas mura ang sasakyan = mas kaunti ang safety features

  7. d ko inexpect na spark pa ang pinakamataas lol ung previos model kasi nya sobrang nipis ng bakal na ginagamit dati napasandal ako dun sa sasakyan lumulubog agad lol anyway baka iba na ung latest model.

    • @ezy ang safety performance ng isang sasakyan ay malaking factor sa pagbili ng sasakyan, pero hinde dapat po ito ang maging basehan di naman ibig sabihin na spark binili mo mabubuhay ka lol nasa sa inyo pa rin yan payo ko lng eh wag kayong bumase sa specs,features, piliin nyu kung anu ung gusto nyu at kung anu ang nasa puso nyo =).naalala ko ung isang nagreview ng 2 sasakyan halatang mas maganda ang specs nung isa pero di pa rin nya pinili un =)

    • same comment sa spark pero ang pinaka nagtaka ako ay yung Honda Fit dead last! wow yan pa naman sana bibilhin ko pagdating ng 2014 model

  8. Hindi ba nila tinest ang smart car and see how Mercedes tech holds up? They, after all, invented the crumple zone.

  9. Panalo tlga si Spark….

  10. Reply
    Señora Santibañez January 24, 2014 at 10:13 am

    Eto ang mga kotse ng mga PULUBING feeling mayaman.

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