When it comes to rating safety thresholds for vehicles, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) measures how well a vehicle protects its passengers in a crash. However, in addition to this, cars must now also have effective headlights to get the highest rating as well. The power of your headlights may determine if you see a pedestrian or an oncoming car and thus avoid the accident. Of this year’s top safety pick plus winners by the IIHS, only seven vehicles got good ratings for both their safety rating and their headlights.
The first vehicle is the Chevy Volt, which is a hybrid car that has a gasoline engine that recharges the electric battery while the car drives. Next up is the Honda Ridgeline, which makes its return to the lineup after a two-year absence. The Ridgeline ranks #1 in compact pickup trucks which sports a pleasing interior, comfortable ride and tech features. Next is the Hyundai Elantra, which is praised for being a good combination of a reasonable price and good fuel economy. In addition to the Elantra, the Hyundai Santa Fe went from not being even on the list last year to among the top picks this year among midsize SUVs thanks to some redesign. The Subaru Legacy continues its top rating from its 2016 model, as the midsize sedan combines the high safety rating with standard all-wheel drive and good fuel economy. Adding on, the Toyota Prius V is the bigger version of the hybrid and continues to hold a top rating along with top fuel economy. Lastly, the Volvo XC60 has features such as those that detect pedestrians and applies the brakes.
Note that these are all based on the 2017 models and for this car model year. These are vehicles that have received the highest safety ratings as well as superior headlight ratings.