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Forbes.com has released its list of the Top 7 Safest Small Cars. Cars were chosen based on their scores for tests completed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The list includes cars listed in the micro, mini, or small-car divisions.
The IIHS tests evaluate how much protection the car will provide the passengers in high-speed front and side crashes, rollovers, and rear-impact crashes. The cars are tested in these categories and then are rated good, acceptable, marginal, or poor. The Safest Small Cars list does not include cars that were not tested in every category.
The Frontal Offset test measures how much protection the car will provide passengers in a 40 mph front crash. The Roof Strength test measures protection if the car were to roll over. The Side Crash test measures protection in case the car was to be hit by a truck or an SUV at 40 mph. A Rear Crash test measures how the head restraints protect passengers from whiplash injuries. The IIHS also takes into account whether or not the car has Electronic Stability Control, or ESC. ESC helps the driver maintain control over the vehicle during emergency maneuvers in order to reduce the risk of a crash.
The Top 7 Safest Small Cars:
- Honda Civic 4-Door
- Honda Fit
- Kia Soul
- Nissan Cube
- Subaru Impreza
- Volkswagen Golf
- smart fortwo
The Honda Civic 4-Door, Kia Soul, Nissan Cube, Subaru Impreza, and Volkswagen Golf were chosen for the list because they received a Good rating in all of the tests and have ESC. The Honda Fit was chosen because it had an Acceptable Rollover rating, but had Good scores in all of the other categories. The smart fortwo was chosen because it had an Acceptable Rear-crash test, but had Good scores in all of the other categories.
