Hybrids Score High in Crash Safety

[Kacey Green]

Insight, Prius, & Soul

Cheryl Jensen - BLOGS - August 13, 2009, 1:00 pm

Honda Insight Top pick, Toyota Prius, and Kia Soul --Ed.

In addition to getting higher gas mileage, there’s good safety news about three 2010 small cars – including two hybrids - from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The Honda Insight and Toyota Prius hybrids and the Kia Soul all received the Insurance Institute’s top rating of Good (on a scale of Good, Acceptable, Marginal and Poor) in front, side and rear crash testing. They are all going to be Top Safety Picks. To be a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle has to earn good ratings in all three tests and must offer electronic stability control.

Electronic stability control comes as standard equipment on all Soul and Prius models. It is standard equipment on the more expensive models of the Insight, the EX and EX with the navigation system; it is not even available as an option on the least expensive model, the LX.... [Read More]

[Elixer]

Good to know. I'm not sure I like the small tidbit at the end about bigger cars being superior in front end crashes, as it has much more to do with weight than size. Hybrid cars tend to be heavy due to their batteries and electronic motors, which improves the results in crashes with smaller cars.

[JusBringIt]

Originally Posted by Elixer

Good to know. I'm not sure I like the small tidbit at the end about bigger cars being superior in front end crashes, as it has much more to do with weight than size. Hybrid cars tend to be heavy due to their batteries and electronic motors, which improves the results in crashes with smaller cars.

Agreed, people spout that nonsense all the time.

[Chuck]

Facts don't stop liars.

It just seems that gradeschool kids on the playground picking on someone "Because" just become adults that keep hating for senseless and childish reasons:

• Toxic hybrid batteries rape the environment in Sudbury Ontario
• A Prius uses more resources than an H2
• EMF in hybids are dangerous (so unplug the monitor you are reading this with )
• Hypermilers are the most dangerous drivers on the road - just Google for their accidents.
• All the CleanMPG members are leftists because we embrace hypermiling, hybrids or both.

[Shiba3420]

Couldn't the reason why hybrids do better have nothing to do with them being hybrids?

It seems they are getting major design updates every few years, where other models are really much older designs only updated as needed.
May not be correct, but it seems newer designs should be safer than older designs.