The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) continues to roll out their evaluation of 2011 models under the more stringent 5-Star Safety Ratings system. However, many of the scores fall short of the ratings under the previous methodology. In the latest batch, NHTSA tested the Acura MDX, Chevrolet Cruze, Honda CR-V, Lexus RX 350, Nissan Altima, Toyota Venza, Volkswagen Jetta, and Volvo XC60.
| Make and model | Overall frontal crash rating | Overall side crash rating | Rollover rating | Overall vehicle score |
| Acura MDX | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Chevrolet Cruze | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Honda CR-V AWD/FWD | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Lexus RX350 AWD/FWD | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Lexus RX450h AWD/FWD | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Nissan Altima | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Toyota Venza AWD/FWD | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Volkswagen Jetta | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Volvo XC60 AWD/FWD | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
In this group, the Cruze and XC60 scored the best, with five stars for front, side and overall score with four stars for rollover. So far, only the Accord has received five stars in all categories, but there are still a number of models yet to be evaluated. In this first year of the new ratings, NHTSA will rate 24 passenger cars, 20 SUVs, two vans, and nine pickup trucks.
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