A new, tougher side crash test from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows that there’s a lot of room for improvement when it comes to side-impact safety. In the first round of 20 small SUVs that were tested, only one vehicle, the Mazda CX-5, got a top Good rating, while two models, the Honda HR-V and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, earned the lowest score of Poor.
Unlike prior side-impact tests, this updated evaluation is designed to find out how vehicles fare if they’re struck from the side by a heavier, midsized SUV at a higher speed. Most of the vehicles tested received middling ratings. Other vehicle sizes and types have yet to be evaluated.