Q: My electric water heater had a six-year warranty and is now nine years old. A plumber told me to replace it before I have a problem such as a leak because it may be a major one that floods my finished basement. Do you agree? —Michael Lah Portland, CT

A: Our experts say yes, given your basement and the fact that your water heater unit is three years past the warranty. For many, though, it's a tough call.

The warranty period is just an estimate of the heater's life span. How long it actually lasts depends on factors including water quality, the amount of hot water you use, and how well you have maintained it.

If you end up replacing your water heater, consider a hybrid electric model that uses a heat pump to preheat the water. Those units can save up to 60 percent in energy costs over a typical resistive heater. But they are more expensive up front and generally taller, and they require a floor drain.

For more information, see:

• The word on warranty protection
• Are any car protection plans worth the money?
• You almost never need the extended warranty coverage
• Watch out for warranties

Send your questions to ConsumerReports.org/askourexperts.

Q. I have a water purifier in my fridge and one in my sink. Is there a way to verify that they're working? A.L., Columbus, Ga.

A. It depends on what you're using the filter for. Different contaminants have different effects on water quality; some might impart an unpleasant taste, odor, or color, while others, like certain metals or coliform bacteria, could harm your health. Different purifiers may target specific contaminants, so check your device or contact the manufacturer to see what yours are designed to remove. If you want to have your purified water checked, send a sample to a state certified lab. Also check with NSF International, a public health and safety certification group, to find out if your filtering devices were properly vetted.

See our Ratings and buying guide for water filters, including our top-rated carafe water filter, the Clear2O CWS100A, $23, our top-rated faucet-mounted water filter, the Culligan FM-15A, $15, and the top counter-top water filter, the Amway eSpring 10-0188, $940.

Keep in mind that you should keep your carafe water filter in the refrigerator. A water-filled carafe can become a breeding ground for microorganisms when left at room temperature.

At Consumer Reports, we strongly recommend that any walk-behind mower you buy have a premium engine. These engines, with their more efficient overhead-valve designs, run cleaner and quieter, and are easier to maintain. And the engines have better odds of lasting through the years. Of course, even with a good engine you need a mower that matches the size of your lawn and the type of grass you grow.

Engines common to some mowers we recently tested are the Briggs & Stratton 550e and 550ex, which can be found on the self-propelled, single speed Craftsman 37440, Yard Machines 12A-A13K, and Lawn-Boy 10632, along with the Lawn-Boy 10630, a push model. All sell for $240 to $280, and their 140-cc engines are intended for entry-level mowers.

These mowers are fine for homeowners with smallish yards that don't need much attention. All start easily—one mark of a premium engine—and the Craftsman 37440 and Yard Machines 12A-A13K in particular had impressive evenness in mulching mode. And because of these engines, the mowers are fairly lightweight.

More challenging conditions, however, make for a different scenario—particularly if you're bagging. "Based on our observations and formal testing, once you get into that June growth with thicker turf, these engines seemed a little short on power," says Peter Sawchuk, the program leader who heads our mower testing. "All of these models were limited at filling the bag with clippings."

In that same price range, are the self-propelled, single-speed Toro 20370, $280, the push Cub Cadet SC100 11A-A92J, $250, and Yard Machines 11a-B96N, $240. All have beefier engines and scored very good or better in all three mowing modes (mulching, bagging and side-discharging).

Before choosing a mower, check out our buying advice for mowers and lawn tractors. Then see the results of our tests, which score mowers for cutting evenness, handling, and other factors.

With a brand forever linked with the "ultimate driving machine" tagline, you might not associate BMW with scooters. But BMW has built scooters for years in Europe, and it has been making inroads stateside with its own take on efficient, urban transportation. We recently rode its C 600 maxi-scooter, a relatively large scooter designed for two-up highway riding, and came away impressed.

Packaging is often an advantage scooters hold over motorcycles. With its own trick, the C 600 Sport has a clever expandable storage compartment below the two-person seat that will hold two full-face helmets, as long as the bike is parked. (You have to fold in the back half of the storage well before riding, or the rear tire will rub against it.) With the extra storage flap tucked away, the under-seat compartment will hold one full-face helmet—handy for running to the train station, for example, to pick up a passenger. (Check out the new Honda Forza scooter.)

This scooter line comes in two models, the C 600 Sport that we rode and the C 650 GT, which has saddle bags, a lower seat height, higher handlebars, a power height-adjustable windshield. The GT lacks the under-seat storage expansion. Both use the same high-compression 60-hp engine, despite their divergent designations. BMW rates them at 53 mpg at a steady 56 mph. No figures are offered for urban riding. The downside here is that they require premium fuel.

The BMW C 600 Sport is powered by a 60-hp, 647cc, inline twin-cylinder engine. A continuously variable transmission and a centrifugal clutch make the C 600 Sport easy for new riders to learn. There are twin 10.6-inch disc brakes up front and a single disc to the rear. A proven, life-saving safety system, antilock brakes are standard. Top speed is rated at 109 mph; we thought better of testing that claim.

With just a slight twist of the throttle, the big bike feels torquey and eager to surge ahead. It's very docile at parking lot speeds and on the highway. However, at medium speeds, we found the engine a little lumpy and coarse.

The controls couldn't be easier. With everything right at your fingertips, you don't have to reach for anything, although we didn't play with the intimidating LCD trip computer. Handling is light and nimble for such a big scooter, making it quite an enjoyable ride. And when we say, "big," we mean it. This scoot weighs 549 pounds—over a hundred pounds more than a BMW G 650 GS motorcycle.

It's undoubtedly the most capable scooter I've ridden, and it is certainly the most comfortable on the highway. But I still found it less responsive than a traditional motorcycle.

If all this sounds like overkill for an urban runabout, I agree.

The C 600 Sport starts at $9,590. The GT adds another $400.

Learn about riding in our motorcycle hub, buying guide, and in our reliability and owner satisfaction report.

The newest tablet in Samsung's lineup, the Galaxy Note 8 ($400) received top marks in our latest Ratings of 7- to 8-inch Wi-Fi tablets. It's largely the Galaxy's versatility that puts it at the top, with its innovative stylus and a feature lineup that includes GPS and a memory-card reader. (In comparison, the iPad Mini has none of those, but it also costs $70 less).

One of the features that sets this tablet apart is the Note software that comes with it. You get handwriting recognition, the ability to multitask by running two apps side by side (with certain apps only), and Adobe Photoshop Touch, a robust photo editor that works with the stylus. The Galaxy Note 8 is available only in a 16GB version, but the memory-card reader leaves plenty of room for memory expansion.

Other new tablets in our Ratings include three from Coby, available in 7-, 8-, and 10.1-inch sizes. They're low in cost, but you'll have to make some sacrifices to save that money. Also new is the Archos GamePad, a tablet with built-in game controls. It's inexpensive for a tablet, at $180, but it doesn't live up to what you probably demand from either a tablet or a portable gaming device.

Also, Dell has added to its line of Windows 8 tablets with the Dell Latitude 10 Essentials ($500). It's a lower-cost version of the Latitude 10. Dell cut a few corners to get the price down to $150 less than the Wi-Fi Latitude 10, including eliminating the removable battery and GPS.

If you're in the process of restoring a historic home—say an 18th century Dutch Colonial or a 19th century Queen Anne—you might be interested in Benjamin Moore's new Williamsburg Color Collection. The 144-color palette is based on actual hues that existed centuries ago, discovered through examination of period documents, wallpaper samples, architectural fragments, and the like. And Benjamin Moore tends to do well in Consumer Reports' paint tests, so you can count on the new colors holding up on your walls.

Benjamin Moore teamed up with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to create the Williamsburg Color Collection. "It's personally satisfying to see research become reality with a palette that is consistent with colors that would have been found in the 18th century," said Matthew Webster, Director of the Grainger Department of Historic Architectural Resources for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, in the news release.

Even a top-performing paint in an alluring color can look crummy if you don't apply it properly. And Benjamin Moore paints do cost a premium so if you choose a hue from the new collection, you want to make sure you do the job right. Our latest reports on interior and exterior paint are loaded with advice for do-it-yourselfers, including tips for surface preparation and how to prevent roller marks.

A laptop and desktop from Vizio—the Vizio CT15T-B1 Ultrabook and the Vizio CA24T-B0, respectively—are the first computers into our labs with the latest Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ac. Though it's up and running, it's still an emerging standard, waiting to be ratified by the Wi-Fi working group; still, 802.11ac should result in faster throughput.

Because it resides on the 5GHz frequency band, 802.11ac will run with less interference from other devices, including current computers, tablets, smartphones, microwave ovens, and cordless phones, which work on the same 2.4GHz band of the current 802.11n. In addition, the 5GHz band has more available channels, so people living in crowded areas (apartment buildings, for example) should experience less interference from their neighbors' Wi-Fi and other electronics.

For most users, the benefits of 802.11ac will come in the future. For example, with more and more content providers, such as Netflix, encouraging streaming video, demand will increase for faster Wi-Fi as well for more bandwidth. And as more consumers shoot home videos in HD, viewing those will also require a faster network.

We'll be trying the new standard out soon (though the Vizio computers were both tested and Rated, we don't normally test Wi-Fi throughput). Meanwhile, plenty of routers are available with 802.11ac, but not a lot of devices use it yet.

The Vizio laptop and desktop don't come cheap, at $1,500 and $1,275, respectively. If you're looking for a bargain, check out the new Toshiba Satellite L875-S7108, a 17-inch model that costs just $425. It had respectable battery life for a laptop that size, is the lightest 17-inch model in our Ratings, and was a very good performer.

The HTC One and HTC First may share a manufacturer and an operating system, but the similarities end there. Each phone has a unique interface for presenting and accessing news feeds and messaging apps. But only the One tackles that task with aplomb. Here's what we found:

The HTC One is a marquee model with a dazzling 4.7-inch, high-definition (1080p) display, and its sleekly curved aluminum unibody has a solid feel. We found its two amplified, front-firing speakers sounded better than those on many other phones, providing stereo sound loud enough and rich enough to enjoy without headphones.

A more intriguing feature is the HTC One's main camera, which uses a new type of image sensor called UltraPixel that promises less noisy, less blurry images in low light. What we found about the camera's performance was surprising, though we can reveal that we were impressed some of the cool things you could do with it.

One thing that's hard to miss on the HTC One is its unique, photo-rich interface, called BlinkFeed, which pours calendar notifications, news, and social-network feeds into a cascading mélange of captioned photos and text boxes. When fully fed, BlinkFeed may appear a bit chaotic, more like an endless, disorganized buffet of your personal news world. But at least you can move BlinkFeed out of the spotlight by choosing another screen for your home page.

The aptly named HTC First has a slightly smaller (4.3-inch) display that also performed well in our tests, but its claim to fame is that it's the first smart phone optimized for Facebook Home, the social-network giant's overlay interface for Android phones. Facebook Home overlays the traditional Android screens of apps and widgets with a wallpaper-like Home screen called Cover Feed, an ever-changing slideshow of photo highlights, and the verbiage connected to them, from your Facebook newsfeed.

Our testers found that the Facebook Home interface drowns out or dilutes access to all of the other great features of the versatile Android platform. Besides, Android phones are already Facebook-friendly, thanks to the blue, blinking LEDs, vibration and sound alerts, and a notifications menu that ensures you'll never miss a single update from your Facebook world—or from any other messaging app.

Also included in our new cell phone Ratings is the T-Mobile version of the iPhone 5. Like the AT&T version, it has the advantage of access to two 4G data networks , LTE and HSPA+, though T-Mobile's LTE network is not yet widely available.

As the popularity of motorcycling continues to grow, more women are learning to get their motors running and head out on the highway. Industry experts say that about 12 percent of all riders are now women, drawn by the same combination of emotional and practical factors that appeal to men, from the feeling of freedom to combating the reality of high fuel prices.

Dealers like Angela Annamalai of Shelby's Powersports in Bronx, New York, see a lot of new riders. When discussing first-time buyers, Annamalai offered some buying advice geared to women, who she says can often be intimidated by the male-dominated world of a motorcycle shop.

"Sit on a lot of different bikes first," said Annamalai, who stressed the importance of getting over that showroom discomfort that may discourage women from trying enough models on for size. "Riding position is critical," she says. "Arm length and being able to maneuver with your feet touching the floor is critical for safety."

Annamalai says that women new to riding might want to consider a first bike with an engine in the 250cc to 300cc range, because these relatively lightweight models are easy to handle and not too powerful, yet they are able to keep up with traffic. And their good fuel economy makes them prime choices for commuting. (Discover the most reliable motorcycles.)

Honda representative Jon Seidel said that 40 percent of their 250cc Rebel street bikes are sold to women, who he says are also responsible for a big chunk of scooter sales. (See our test of entry-level motorcycles and scooters.)

But be careful of not buying a bike you'll outgrow too fast. Seidel says that some women are stepping up to larger models like the Shadow Spirit 750, about a quarter of which are sold to female riders. Honda has high hopes for its new CTX series, a family of 700cc models with a low seat height and center of gravity that offer user-friendly features like ABS brakes and an automatic transmission.

Other women riders are looking for neither an automatic nor a small bike—apparently in sufficient numbers that big-bike maker Harley-Davidson claims to sell more cycles to women than any other brand in the United States. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based, manufacturer is looking to capitalize on that success with instructional programs and a section of its website devoted to female riders.

Regardless of your gender, or whether you're looking for an around-town scooter or a big rumbling Harley, remember to start your adventure by investing in the proper protective gear, including a full face helmet and eye protection, and protective jacket, boots, pants, and gloves. And don't even think about swinging a leg over any motorcycle or scooter without first taking an accredited instructional safety course, like those offered by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF). The MSF offers courses all over the United States; ask your dealer or go to www.msf-usa.org.

Not from your vet. They sharply mark up their drug prices, and tack on a $5 to $15 dispensing fee, according to the American Animal Hospital Association. For many pet meds, a better bet is your local pharmacy.

Kmart, Rite Aid, Target, and Walgreens all fill prescriptions for Fluffy and Fido, so long as that same drug is also prescribed to humans. Prices can go as little as $4 for a month's supply. Walgreens allows customers to enroll pets as family members and take advantage of its prescription savings club. Giant/Eagle, Kroger, and Target also open their discount programs to pets.

"While our pharmacies do not carry all pet-related medications, common treatments for pet ailments like itching, infection, blood pressure, digestive issues, and seizure are available at prices that may be more affordable compared to other providers," says a spokesperson for Walgreens who adds that they can also make it easier for you to give pets their pills. "With a valid prescription, our pharmacists can turn many capsules or pills into a liquid flavored with chicken, beef, or salmon."

In contrast, vets' markups over wholesale start at 100 percent and frequently hit 160 percent. And for some medicines the markups are even higher: 567 percent for the anti-inflammatory steroid prednisone, 800 percent for the pain reliever tramadol, and more than 1,000 percent for the antibiotic amoxicillin, according to a 2009 survey of vet pricing conducted by the market research firm LHK partners.

If you frequent an independently owned pharmacy, ask about pet prescriptions; you may be able to negotiate the same low prices offered by the chain stores.

Another option is to shop at one of the Veterinary-Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Examples include 1-800-PetMeds, Drs. Foster & Smith, KV VetSupply, and PetCareRx.

For one-time prescriptions, you might be willing to pay extra for the convenience of getting the drugs at your vet's office. And you might not have a choice in an emergency. But especially for medications that you'll be buying repeatedly for a pet's chronic conditions, you should consider going elsewhere. Ask your vet to quote a price and give you a written prescription, then call around.

Additional links:

Is pet insurance worth the cost? [Consumer Reports]

New options for flea and tick protection [Consumer Reports]

How to track a lost pet [Consumer Reports]

If you ever failed to pay a bill that was subsequently sent to a collection agency, it can still hurt you even if you pay it off. That's because any blemish can stay on your credit report for up to seven years.

So the press was abuzz lately over the fact that the new VantageScore 3.0 model released in March ignores paid collection items and thus boosts your credit score.

But there's one big problem: Most lenders don't actually use VantageScore. For example, only 1,300 of its client lenders use it, according to Experian, one of the big three credit bureaus. Instead, most use their own credit scoring systems, which can produce scores meaningfully different than the ones that consumers can buy.

So a more consumer-friendly VantageScore, which you can buy for $8, might make you feel good about your creditworthiness--at first. But if you apply for credit from a lender who uses a different scoring system that does penalize you for collection items, you could be charged a higher interest rate or turned down for the loan in the first place. Since the lender score is the only one that counts, why buy the VantageScore in the first place?

One solution was re-introduced in Congress in late April. As reported in Consumerist, the Medical Debt Relief Act, would require credit bureaus to remove medical-related collection items under $2,500 within 45 days of their being paid off. Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, supports the legislation, as they did an earlier version that was introduced in 2009 but failed to become law.

Until Congress acts, consumers can take self-help steps to improve their score. When negotiating to pay off any collection account, try to make your payment contingent on removal of the collection item from your report--and get that agreement in writing before you pay.

If your bad debt was sold to a collection agency, you must also deal with the original account, which is likely now also listed as "charged off" or "sold to collections." Ask the collection agency for the name and phone number of the person with the original creditor who has authority to remove the item.

Explain to the original creditor that you're working to repay your debts, and ask that the item be removed, advises Margaret Reiter, an attorney and author of Credit Repair (Nolo Press). In pleading your case, draw on any illnesses, accidents, job losses, divorce, or other hard luck that honestly contributed to your situation.

Look for more information about credit scores in the July issue of Consumer Reports.

It's one thing to blow the bank on a gourmet dinner at a Paris restaurant, quite another to pay more than you need to for it because of fees or a bad exchange rate. So it will come as good news to summer travelers abroad that the dollar buys more of the major currencies (the Euro, British Pound, and Japanese Yen) than it did at the beginning of 2013. What's more, you don't have to give back the gain in foreign transaction or conversion fees when you pay using a credit card.

Those fees currently average 2.24 percent across all cards, according to CardHub.com. Although the typical foreign transaction fee is still 3 percent, there are more credit cards that don't charge a fee than in prior years. And half of our recommended travel cards don't charge a transaction fee at all.

While it might make you feel secure to grab some foreign currency from your bank ahead of time or at the airport foreign exchange counter, the rate you'll receive will be even worse than a fee you might incur when paying by credit card—either because of a transaction fee, or because the exchange rate is simply terrible, or both. If you can wait, withdraw money at a bank ATM in the country you're visiting. Despite what you may have read about new chip-and-PIN technology of foreign debit cards, most ATMs abroad still accept the magnetic strip cards widely issued in the U.S. And depending on your bank or credit union, some or all of your ATM transactions will be free. Finally, the exchange rate you receive from an ATM outside your adopted Parisian bistro will almost certainly be more favorable.

Check our best travel credit cards and Airline Travel Buying Guide for more travel tips.

Having just tested and lived with a quartet of German roadsters, our staff has convertibles on the brain. No doubt, you've seen the road tests and know the official scores and rankings. We thought it would be fun to go behind the ratings to see what some of our team members would personally recommended.

Tom Mutchler: Other than the BMW Z4, which looks a lot better than it drives, I enjoyed all of our tested roadsters. I took a long and enjoyable road trip in our Mercedes SLK. And our Audi TT was surprisingly enjoyable to drive, with a lot of neat stylish details despite its modest-in-this-group price.

But I deeply miss our Porsche Boxster. I wasn't a big fan of the previous generation, a car that proved polarizing in the hallowed halls of the Consumer Reports Auto Test Center, but this time Porsche nailed it. It sounds fabulous and is a joy to drive. Maybe the steering feel has eroded a touch, but it's still fantastic. Plus, the car's decent ride and two trunks make it surprisingly practical. Watching the yellow roadster drive off (quickly) with its smiling new owner brought a tinge of sadness.

Like I said in episode 4 of our podcast, "Talking Cars with Consumer Reports," I personally could get 95 percent of the Boxster's "happiness" from a used $13,000 Mazda Miata. But that doesn't take away from the Boxster's brilliance.

Mike Quincy: I have a tendency to root for losing teams. It's not on purpose, but sometimes I just sense a bit of extra character in people (or things) that seem to try harder even though they're facing almost unmatchable foes. Take the BMW Z4, for example. I love its looks, folding hardtop, and gritty stance. But I knew it was going to get trounced in our Ratings compared to the Boxster and SLK. Still, there was something about it that I liked. And while the turbocharged four-cylinder in our test car returned decent fuel economy and was plenty quick, I'd spend a little more money and get the 35i model with the 3.0-liter, inline six-cylinder engine. I haven't met a BMW straight-six that I haven't loved.

This wouldn't transform the Z4 into a winner, but it would at least make it sound better. And a good-exhaust tune is essential when you're top-down motoring.

There's no denying the Boxster's greatness. I like driving it more than a 911. And the SLK is the one in this group that didn't seem to take itself so seriously: Fun, good looking and comfortable for a small roadster. I'd be overjoyed with any of these slick sports cars.

But a Z4—with the zany M Sport/Hyper Orange Package—is the one I'd take and keep for a long time. And the wacky color would fit right in with tailgating at a Cleveland Browns football game (another perennial lovable loser).

Cliff Weathers: The most inexpensive new convertibles still cost at least $20,000, or about the price I'd pay for a base midsized sedan. So here I am, a family man hanging by the tips of my fingers to a middle-class lifestyle, and I'm asked to pick out a new convertible?

There is a practical solution to this dilemma; it's called a used car. My rationale is this: I would probably only want to use a convertible on warm, dry, lazy days between May and October, or maybe 30 times a year at best. This avoids living with the inherent convertible compromises on a daily basis. So, why do I need another car payment for a toy?

For my pick, I'm going with a low-mileage 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible, which I can readily find for under $10,000, maybe even as low $8,000 if I find one in a private sale.

The New Beetle has a great deal of charisma, a well-constructed interior, a responsive engine, and that model year has demonstrated average reliability, so I don't foresee too many problems cropping up during its limited time on the road (knock wood). But what really sells me on the this old New Beetle is the top, which is plush, well-insulated, easy to open, and keeps wind noise out on those rare occasions when it stays up.

Ever since the major video game platforms (the Nintendo Wii U, Sony PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Xbox 360) added motion-controlled gaming, players have been jumping off the couch and moving more than their trigger fingers. But say you're new to the world of games and are more interested in fitness than collecting virtual coins or battling digital aliens. Which console should you buy?

Our game and fitness experts just tested five games that can help you get in shape: Nike+ Kinect Training, Zumba Fitness: Core, Just Dance 4, Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2013, and UFC Personal Trainer. They used all three of the game platforms to test. And one feature that proved essential was how well the consoles tracked players' movement.

Tracking is very important in fitness games, because it helps the game provide proper feedback on your form. Doing the exercises incorrectly can diminish the value of the workout or even cause injuries.

Of the three platforms, the Xbox did the best job of motion tracking. Its Kinect controller can track your full body movements; the Wii Remote and PlayStation Move and Eye are less accurate, as our testers demonstrated. (Bear in mind that tracking accuracy also depends on the game.) Prices for the three consoles are comparable, but keep in mind you'll need to buy the controllers as well, separately or in a bundled package.

Read our full story, Fitness video game reviews, to see how well the games did in our tests.

The redesigned Subaru Forester is the only small SUV out of 13 tested to earn a top score of Good in the new small overlap crash test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Both the Forester and the 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, which received an Acceptable score, earn the Institute's Top Safety Pick+ award.

Six vehicles earned a marginal score in the overlap test, including the BMW X1, Honda CR-V, Jeep Wrangler (2-door), Mazda CX-5, Nissan Rogue, and Volkswagen Tiguan. The Buick Encore, Ford Escape, Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Patriot, and Kia Sportage all earned Poor scores.

For this test, vehicles careen into a 5-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph, replicating the impact with a tree or pole. The simulated crash involves just 25 percent of the width of the vehicle, concentrating the force on the driver-side front corner. (To learn more about crash tests, read our primer "Crash test 101.")

To reward good performers, the IIHS added a "+" to their coveted Top Safety Pick award for those models that earn a Good or Acceptable in this rigorous test. To qualify for a Top Safety Pick+, a vehicle must earn Good ratings in at least four out of five of their tests, which include the moderate front overlap crash, side impact, rollover, and evaluations of how well seat and head restraints protect occupants from neck injuries in rear impacts. Plus, the car has to earn no less than an Acceptable in the small front overlap crash test. (Watch previous crash tests.)

Nine of the 13 SUVs tested earn the Top Safety Pick award (without the +) by receiving good ratings in the moderate overlap front, side, rollover and rear tests, regardless of their ratings in the small overlap front test. They include the BMW X1, Buick Encore, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5, Volkswagen Tiguan, and the 2014 Patriot.

One notable small SUV missing from the list is the 2013 Toyota RAV4. It earns the Top Safety Pick award, but the Institute didn't run it through the small overlap test yet because Toyota asked for a delay so they could make changes to the RAV4 to improve performance.

The Forester and Outlander Sport join these previous models that have earned the Top Safety Pick+ designation: Acura TL, Chrysler 200, Dodge Avenger, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord coupe and sedan, Honda Civic coupe and sedan, Kia Optima, Lincoln MKZ, Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback, Suzuki Kizashi, Volkswagen Passat, Volvo S60, and Volvo XC60.

A full Subaru Forester road test will be published next Tuesday, May 21.

Related:
2013 Honda Civic aces tough IIHS crash test
New IIHS crash tests finds some family cars outperform luxury models
Crash test videos
Guide to car safety