When weighing the myriad considerations in choosing a car, all it takes is a minute watching your favorite car careen into an offset barrier at 40 mph to place safety as a top concern. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently rated a group of two-door coupes for crash safety—the Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Scion tC, and Volvo C30. This marked the first time IIHS had tested coupes. (In the past IIHS has tested two-door convertibles and hatchbacks.) There was a relatively wide difference in crash test performance among these five cars. (Read: "Crash tests: IIHS tests five coupes, two get top marks.")

The good news: the Ford Focus coupe and Volvo C30 were IIHS “Top Safety Picks,” scoring good in frontal, side and rear crash tests, thereby proving that small, two-door models can excel in these crash tests.

Most disappointing: the Scion tC achieved only an acceptable rating in its frontal offset test. This is troubling given that almost every new car gets a good rating in this test. The tC didn’t redeem itself in side crash performance either, scoring acceptable in that test, as well as being marginal in rear crash protection.

This new data, combined with the tC’s lack of electronic stability control, mean it scores only “fair” in Consumer Report’s overall safety rating. That rating is a composite of IIHS and NHTSA crash test results; dynamic safety performance, including handling and braking, from our track testing; and the availability of ESC, including whether it is standard or optional. We currently do not recommend cars that have an overall safety rating below good. This means that we no longer recommend the Scion tC.

The tC’s shabby safety performance is all the more troubling given that this inexpensive sporty coupe is popular among young drivers. That group of drivers is relatively inexperienced and more likely to take risks when driving. Combine this with the tC’s lackluster crash test results and lack of ESC, and it isn’t really a surprise that the tC has a substantially worse-than-average record in injury losses, according to Highway Loss Data Institute data. (See our safety feature comparison guide.)

We have added the crash-test videos of these tests to our free crash-test video player and on their respective model overview pages, available to online subscribers. There are now more than 300 vehicles featured in the player, with narrated segments clearly showing how the vehicles perform in the Institute’s test, along with ratings.

See how your car performs in crash tests at: consumerreports.org/crashtest

—Jeff Bartlett and Tom Mutchler