20 Safest Cars of 2015

19. Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius scored a “good” in all areas except small front overlap, where it scored “acceptable”, and scored “advanced” in the front crash prevention test. The optional pre-collision system reduced impact speed in the 12 mph test by 5 mph, and 4 mph in the 25 mph test. The child seat LATCH system scored “marginal” due to other hardware that can be confused for anchors, the lower anchors being too deep in the seat, and the anchors being too difficult to maneuver around. The roof was able to withstand 4.2 times its own weight before crushing 5 inches, just reaching the threshold for a “good” rating. In the small overlap front test, the Toyota Prius scored “acceptable” overall, but scored a marginal in structure and safety cage. The driver space was not maintained well, with maximum intrusion of the lower interior of 22 cm at the lower hinge pillar. The parking brake pedal was pushed in toward the driver 19 cm. Upper interior intrusion measured 13-17 cm at the hinge pillar and instrument panel. The dummy’s head slid off the left side of the airbag, leaving it vulnerable to contact with the structure, and the seat belt allowed excessive forward excursion of the dummy’s head and torso.