New Toyota Cars Earn High Marks in Tougher Safety Testing

Last year, in response to the changing automotive industry, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety strengthened the requirements for its long-standing Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards. Several new Toyota cars were up to the challenge of exceeding these strict requirements, as the automaker earned the most overall, for a total of 15. Here at Toyota Chula Vista, not only can you buy Toyota cars, you can also find out what makes these new 2023 models so safe.

Changes to Safety Requirements

The most significant change to the criteria for both the Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ is replacing the original IIHS side crash test with an updated evaluation. To comply with faster and better-performing vehicles overall, the new test requires 82 percent more energy than the old test.

Another new evaluation launched this year was the nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention test. This test requires advanced or superior performance in both nighttime and daytime pedestrian tests to qualify for the Top Safety Pick+ award.

High-Scoring Toyota Models

With the stricter testing requirements, the number of winners was smaller this year. There were 28 Top Safety Pick+ selections and 20 models that earned the second-tier Top Safety Pick. Toyota cars that were named as Top Safety Pick+ choices included:

• Toyota Camry built after January 2023
• Toyota Highlander
• Toyota Sienna
• Toyota Tundra crew cab
• Toyota Tundra extended cab

Toyota models that won the Top Safety Pick award were:

• Toyota Corolla hatchback and sedan
• Toyota RAV4
• Toyota RAV4 Prime
• Toyota Venza

Test Drive These Safe Toyota Models at Toyota Chula Vista

Here at Toyota Chula Vista, we are proud but not surprised by the performance of these Toyota cars in the safety testing. Take one for a test drive today.