The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has recently evaluated the more affordable and less roomy sibling of the 2026 Volkswagen Atlas. In all three crashworthiness tests, the mid-size crossover earned the maximum rating possible.

 

First and foremost, the small overlap front test replicates what happens when 25 percent of the vehicle's frontal area impacts a barrier. The impact bypasses the main energy-absorbing crumple zones, and the impact force often collapses the wheel well, pushing the wheel into the footwell.