The New Prius Gets Top Marks from the IIHS

2016 Toyota Prius (Credit: © Toyota)

The New Prius Gets Top Marks from the IIHSSince the 2010 model year, the Toyota Prius has been on a roll with getting Top Safety Pick selections from the IIHS. What’s more, in 2014 and 2015, the thrifty rig earned the Top Safety Pick+ designation. With a complete redesign for the 2016 model year, Toyota ran the risk of cutting its streak short, but apparently the automaker made the newest Prius even safer than before.

» Related: Toyota Celebrates 50 Years of Corolla with a Special Edition

While the 2016 Prius’ has earned the same Top Safety Pick+ rating as the last two year, the 2016 requirements are stricter than before. In 2016, cars must earn a “Good” rating—the top rating the IIHS gives—in all categories, including the always-difficult small-overlap test. In addition to acing all of these tests, it must also have a crash-prevention system rated at advanced or superior by the IIHS.

In years prior to 2016, the Prius performed well, getting “Good” ratings in four of the five categories, but it only received an “Acceptable” rating in the small-overlap test. Also improved is the front crash-prevention system, which gets an increase from “Advanced” to “Superior.” This increase is thanks to the 2016 Prius avoiding a collisions at speeds of 12 and 25 mph during IIHS testing.

For those who want to enjoy the carnage that went into the Prius getting these ratings, you can check out the crash-test footage below.

Watch the Video: