The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released a much shorter list of Top Safety Picks for 2010 than in previous years, just 27 models, compared with 94 models in 2009. The Institute has tightened the criteria it uses to name Top Safety Picks for 2010 with the addition of rollover protection, leaving out many vehicles that previously made the list. 

To receive a Top Safety Pick designation for 2010, cars have to receive a Good rating in the IIHS’s new roof crush tests, as well as meet all the earlier criteria: Good scores in front and side crash tests, a Good head restraint design for rear impacts, and the inclusion of Electronic Stability Control. In its crash tests, the IIHS rates cars on a scale of Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor.

The added requirement of a Good rating in the roof strength test eliminated several top-selling models that were on last year’s list, including the Ford Fusion and the Honda Accord. “Honda and Ford would have to make only minor changes to achieve good ratings for roof strength, as the Accord and Fusion just missed the mark,” says IIHS president Adrian Lund.

The Toyota Camry also missed the mark because its head restraints were rated Marginal. Toyota had no cars on the list of Top Safety Picks this year. Other past winners with no vehicles on the list this year included BMW, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Saab. The Institute praised Subaru as the only automaker to win the award in every category it entered, with five vehicles earning the Top Safety Pick designation. Chrysler, Volkswagen, and Volvo each earned four. No convertibles were included on this year’s list. Two new small cars, the Nissan Cube and the Kia Soul, join the list.

The Volvo XC60, which was introduced this year, had an early safety problem in the side impact test, and only models built after Nov. 1, 2009 qualify for the award. However, IIHS points out that consumers with XC60s built before than can see their Volvo dealer for an update.

2010 IIHS Top Safety Picks

Large cars
Buick LaCrosse
Ford Taurus
Lincoln MKS
Volvo S80

Midsize cars
Audi A3
Chevrolet Malibu built after Oct. 2009
Chrysler Sebring 4-door with optional ESC
Dodge Avenger with optional ESC
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Volkswagen Jetta sedan
Volkswagen Passat sedan
Volvo C30

Small cars
Honda Civic 4-door with optional ESC, except Si
Kia Soul
Nissan Cube
Subaru Impreza, except WRX
Volkswagen Golf 4-door

Midsize SUVs
Dodge Journey
Subaru Tribeca
Volvo XC60
Volvo XC90

Small SUVs
Honda Element
Jeep Patriot with optional side air bags
Subaru Forester
Volkswagen Tiguan

Although fewer models earn the award this year, it is still possible to find models in all categories with good overall safety scores. However, in some categories, few if any models meet both IIHS’s requirements for a Top Safety Pick and Consumer Reports standards for recommendation. To be recommended by Consumer Reports, a vehicle must perform well in our testing, have at least average reliability, and perform adequately in safety tests by both the government and the IIHS, if tested.

The small SUV category illustrates how fewer models now standout as the safest and best models. Last year 10 small SUVs earned Top Safety Pick designations. This year only four did: the Honda Element, Jeep Patriot, Subaru Forester, and Volkswagen Tiguan. Many other small SUVs received sub-par ratings in the IIHS’s new roof-strength test. Of those, only the Forester and the Tiguan meet the criteria to be recommended by Consumer Reports.

Overall, vehicle safety has made significant improvements through the years, as automakers have added stronger front and side structures, head-protecting air bags, and electronic stability control on many more models. (For proof, see “IIHS crash tests 2009 Chevrolet Malibu vs 1959 Bel Air.”) Increasingly stringent safety tests have been a driving force in motivating the auto industry to make progressive improvements, and this revised methodology to selecting Top Safety Picks will likely lead to even safer vehicles. 

There are many considerations when choosing a new vehicle, and this change to how the IIHS spotlights what it considers to be the safest models should help car buyers who prioritize safety.

—Eric Evarts 

For more information on the government tests, see our related reports:
Crash test 101
Rollover 101
Roof-crush standards