Some Small SUVs Show Worrying Results in Updated Crash-Avoidance Tech Tests

The exponential advancements in automotive safety since the start of the 21st century are worth celebrating, but watchdog groups like the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety believe there is always room for improvement. The organization recently analyzed one of the most popular segments on sale today—compact SUVs and crossovers—and found there’s still work to be done.

Putting a verified list of popular compact SUVs (Subaru Forester, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Compass, Chevrolet Equinox, Mazda CX-5, Mitsubishi Outlander, and Volkswagen Taos) through their paces, IIHS took things a bit further than usual. In updating its vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluation, the organization upped the testing speed from 12 mph and 25 mph to 31 mph, 37 mph, and 43 mph.

2024 Subaru Forester

Additionally, the updated test puts these small SUVs up against the traditional passenger car, as well as a motorcycle and a semitrailer. Tests are run at all three speeds with each vehicle type and evaluate the forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking systems. Notably, an IIHS engineer drives the car during this test, meaning the driver must swerve out of the way while evaluating both safety systems.

“Obviously, crashes that happen at higher speeds are more dangerous,” said IIHS senior research scientist David Kidd, the development leader of the new evaluation. “Deadly underride crashes often occur when the struck vehicle is a large truck, and motorcyclists are frequently killed when they’re rear-ended by a passenger car, since their bike offers no protection from the impact.”

Each model earns points by warning the driver at least 2.1 seconds before the projected time of impact and for substantial speed reduction under automated braking, with braking action counting for more points. Under these new testing conditions, only the Subaru Forester excelled, earning the highest IIHS rating of Good by avoiding collision with the passenger car at every test speed.

2024 Chevrolet Equinox

The Subaru Forester avoided hitting the motorcycle target at 31 and 37 mph, in addition to slowing by an average of 30 mph before hitting the motorcycle in the 43-mph tests. Similarly, the forward-collision alerts were proactive in all circumstances, including with the trailer.

Honda’s CR-V was not far behind, earning the next-best rating of Acceptable for its timely forward-collision alerts and aggressive braking performance in all passenger cars and most motorcycle target tests. At 43 mph, the CR-V failed to slow consistently for the motorcycle target, knocking off points. The Toyota RAV4 also earned an Acceptable rating for exhibiting similar automated system behavior.

The Ford Escape, Hyundai Tucson, and Jeep Compass all earned Marginal ratings from IIHS, largely due to late forward-collision warnings. That said, the IIHS noted that the Ford Escape managed to avoid hitting passenger vehicle and motorcycle targets up to 31 mph and even slowed significantly in higher-speed tests.

Chevrolet’s Equinox, the Mazda CX-5, Mitsubishi’s Outlander, and the Volkswagen Taos all received Poor ratings due to lacking motorcycle target identification and insignificant slowing from the automated emergency braking systems. Specifically, the Equinox failed to slow much at all for the motorcycle target, IIHS engineers noted.