After automakers mastered the previous run of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration frontal and side-impact crash tests, making the maximum rating of five stars the norm, the agency redesigned its tests to better separate the best from the rest.
In the first round of the new tests, released Tuesday morning, just two vehicles out of 16 -- the Hyundai Sonata family sedan and BMW 5-Series luxury sedan -- earned a five-star rating. Most of the tested vehicles earned four stars, and the best-selling Toyota Camry and Nissan Versa earned just three and two, respectively.
The star ratings reflect performance in one frontal and two side crash tests and rollover resistance evaluation. The frontal tests, rollover evaluation and one side tests remain largely unchanged; there are different crash test dummies that measure more potential injuries, but the frontal test is still 35 miles per hour into a fixed barrier to simulate a head-on collision with a car of the same weight, and one of the side tests is still a 3,000-pound crushable barrier t-boning the test vehicle at 38.5 miles per hour. For rollover resistance, most cars are evaluated based on their center of gravity and some cars and all light trucks (SUVs, pickups and vans) are tested to see if they tip up in a swerve.
In a new side test, the test car's driver door is slammed into a pole at 20 miles per hour to simulate a car sliding into a tree or other narrow fixed object.
The revised star ratings are unrelated to separate, less-severe crash tests that every car sold in the U.S. is required by law to pass. NHTSA conducts these separate crash tests to provide additional information to car-buyers interested in more than the minimum safety standards.
NHTSA is planning to test 55 2011-model vehicles, with releases continuing over the coming months.
The new ratings are not compatible with 2010 and earlier tests. They complement tests run by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which tests cars in a frontal test that simulates striking just half an oncoming car, a side test that simulates being struck by an SUV or pickup truck, a head-restraint evaluation for rear-end collisions and a roof-strength test that evaluates how a car would hold up if it does roll over.
The NHTSA rating cannot be compared against classes because the frontal test easier on lighter cars, because it simulates striking a car of the same weight. Rollover and side-impact ratings are comparable among vehicles of all weight.
The full list of 2011 models that will be rated is listed below, with the cars with results in bold:
SMALL CARS
-Chevrolet Cruze: coming soon
-Dodge Caliber: coming soon
-Ford Fiesta: 4/5
-Honda Civic: coming soon
-Kia Forte: coming soon
-Mazda3: coming soon
-Nissan Sentra: coming soon
-Nissan Versa: 2/5
-Toyota Corolla: coming soon
-Toyota Prius: coming soon
-Volkswagen Jetta: coming soon
MIDSIZE CARS
-Chevrolet Malibu: 4/5
-Ford Fusion: coming soon
-Honda Accord: coming soon
-Hyundai Sonata: 5/5
- early 2011 Sonatas: 4/5
-Kia Optima: coming soon
-Nissan Altima: coming soon
-Toyota Camry: 3/5
LARGE CARS:
-Buick Lucerne: coming soon
-Ford Taurus: 4/5
LUXURY CARS:
-Audi A4/S4: 4/5
-BMW 5-Series: 5/5
-Infiniti M37/M56: 4/5
-Mercedes-Benz C-Class: coming soon
SUVS:
-Acura MDX: coming soon
-Chevrolet Equinox: coming soon
-Chevrolet Tahoe: 4/5
-Chevrolet Traverse: coming soon
-Ford Escape: coming soon
-Ford Edge: coming soon
-Honda CR-V: coming soon
-Honda Pilot: 4/5
-Jeep Grand Cherokee: 4/5
-Kia Sorento: 4/5
-Kia Soul: coming soon
-Lexus RX350: coming soon
-Nissan Murano: coming soon
-Nissan Rogue: coming soon
-Subaru Forester: coming soon
-Subaru Outback: 4/5
-Toyota Highlander: coming soon
-Toyota RAV4: coming soon
-Toyota Venza: coming soon
VANS:
-Honda Odyssey: coming soon
-Toyota Sienna: 4/5
PICKUPS:
-Chevrolet Silverado: coming soon
-Ford F-150: coming soon
-Ram Pickup: coming soon
-Toyota Tacoma: coming soon
-Toyota Tundra: coming soon
SEE ALSO:
NHTSA press release
Full NHTSA crash-test details, photos and videos
NHTSA describes its crash test procedure (PDF)
IIHS crash-test ratings
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