Quick video shows that the BMW i3 and Tesla Model S have good but not top-notch safety. The Volt and Prime, however, are both Top Safety Picks with the Prime being slightly better due to the standard TPPS with front crash prevention. I didn't get my Prime because of safety and thought maybe the higher weight might make the Prime less safe, but I happily stand corrected.
FWIW: I don't have the URL offhand, but I recall having see IIS video showing that the Leaf did rather badly.
How are the Prius gen 4 headlights changed for the 2017 year? IIHS rates them as Poor for 2016 and Acceptable for 2017. Did they make the headlights shine even higher into oncoming traffic??? The gen 4 and Prime seem to be some of the safest cars IIHS has tested. They never mention a risk of injury to any body part. I've never seen that before.
I have learned to read these crash tests and grades with some skepticism. As new tests are added the old models tend to do poorly on them until the next model revision. This test inflation makes the old models look bad (rather than slightly less good,) and masks the more fundamental safety differences between models.
Well, they have to update their tests sometime. It makes sense because the newer cars are generally safer than the older platformed cars. TNGA seems to do very well.
I wasn't implying that increased test demands are bad per se, only that the ensuing report card gets skewed until the next car revision. In general, the new tests are improving safety at the margin but each test holds equal weight in the report card which does not reflect the overall safety of the car. I presume the report card is handled this way to pressure the manufacturers to address the test. Like NCLB, the test becomes the target. Result ? Read the report card with a skeptical eye.
