DETROIT, Mich. (WZMQ) – If a new car is on your shopping list, some 2027 models are already earning high scores for safety. We look at some of the safest vehicles and how the newest technology is being put to the test.
Some 2027 car models are already hitting the road, but how do they hold up in a crash? At 40-plus miles per hour… the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety puts new technology and materials to the test…
“Headlight evaluations at night. We look at how the vehicles perform and detect pedestrians… and our newest test is our front crash prevention test, with other vehicles, motorcycles, and a tractor-trailer,” said David Aylor, vice president of crash avoidance, IIHS.
IIHS has a list of over 50 vehicles on the market that have earned their top safety pick plus rating… for 2027 models.
They’ve now added
The Kia Telluride. And the Tesla Model Y
“The vehicles do have front crash prevention systems that perform really well in our test. They’re able to detect and avoid crashes with pedestrians, both during the day and at night,” said Aylor.
These test results help drive changes from one year to the next:
“We do see a lot of manufacturers making improvements to address our test. The Kia Telluride, for instance, earlier models…didn’t do well in our headlight test, and the manufacturer made some changes,” explained Aylor.
Headlights are tested for visibility, distance, and glare.
But it’s the crash test dummy that helps evaluate a vehicle’s most critical safety points:
“The dummy has sensors throughout its body … the head, the chest, the legs, and so we can find out, based on the forces in those areas, what the injury risk would be for a real occupant,” said Aylor
David Aylor says models that didn’t score as well fell short when it came to seatbelt protection.
“Some of them had higher injury risk in the rear seat…”
And if you’re shopping for more affordable options, some top safety picks’ prices start in the $20,000 range. You can find the full list of top safety pick car models – including exact scoring details and star ratings– on I-I-h-s dot org.
