Seven out of eight small SUVs tested performed well in the IIHS
rear crash prevention evaluation, which addresses low-speed backing
crashes that account for a large portion of insurance claims.
The Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Mitsubishi Outlander and Subaru
Forester earn the highest rating of superior, while the Mazda CX-5,
Toyota RAV4 and Volkswagen Taos are rated advanced. The Hyundai
Tucson earns a basic rating.
“Since 2018, new vehicles have been required to come with a rear
camera that makes it easier to see where you’re going when you’re
backing up,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “Rear automatic
emergency braking systems aren’t required, making the feature far
less common. That’s too bad because our research consistently shows
that technology that intervenes on behalf of the driver is more
effective in preventing crashes than other types of
solutions.”
IIHS first tested rear crash prevention systems in 2018 and has
periodically added to its ratings since then.
The rating scale includes ratings of basic, advanced and
superior. Vehicles that only have parking sensors that issue
warnings, rear cross-traffic alert or both earn a basic rating. For
vehicles with rear automatic emergency braking (AEB), the rating is
determined by how their systems perform in three tests using a
passenger vehicle target with different approach angles and one
test using a bollard representing a pole or garage
pillar.
Tests with a pedestrian dummy are not included because the
ultrasonic sensors used by most of today’s rear AEB systems aren’t
designed to detect people — though they sometimes do.
The complete evaluation comprises 24 test runs conducted at 4
mph, with some scenarios weighted more heavily than others. Systems
are assigned points based on the number of runs that either avoid
the target or reduce speeds to less than 1 mph before hitting
it.
Though the low-speed crashes that rear AEB addresses don’t
typically cause serious injuries, they can result in thousands of
dollars in damage. Nearly 30% of collision claims in calendar year
2022 were for rear points of impact costing over $4,000, figures
from the IIHS-affiliated Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) show.
In contrast, rear AEB costs as little as $600 as an optional
feature on some vehicles.
It’s also remarkably effective.
HLDI evaluations of rear AEB show that the feature slashes the
frequency of claims for damage to other vehicles by 29% and reduces
the frequency of claims for damage to policyholders’ vehicles by
9%.
An IIHS study found that rear cameras, parking sensors and rear
AEB combined reduced the incidence of police-reported backing
crashes by a whopping 78%, while rear cross-traffic alert alone
reduced such collisions by 22%.
“Rear AEB probably offers the biggest bang for the buck of any
of the crash avoidance systems we monitor,” said HLDI Senior Vice
President Matt Moore. “The cost of parking lot fender benders
really adds up.”
But not all rear AEB systems are equally effective, the latest
round of IIHS tests demonstrates.
“The rear AEB evaluation is designed to test how well these
systems prevent the most common backing crashes,” said David Aylor,
vice president of active safety at IIHS. “These are challenging
scenarios in which a pole or another vehicle is behind you and off
to the side. Meanwhile, you are backing up and sometimes turning at
the same time.”
Among the four superior-rated vehicles, the Escape avoided
collisions consistently in all four of the test scenarios, hitting
the passenger car target in only one trial with it positioned at a
10-degree angle to the vehicle’s backward path.
The Forester avoided collisions in all scenarios except the one
in which the test vehicle reverses toward a passenger car target
positioned at a 45-degree angle.
The CR-V and the Outlander avoided collisions when the offset
vehicle target was positioned in line with their backing path.
However, they both made contact with the target when it was
positioned at a 45-degree and 10-degree angle. The CR-V also hit
the bollard in one of three test runs, though it slowed
substantially.
The angled targets were most challenging for the lower-rated
vehicles as well.
The advanced-rated CX-5, RAV4 and Taos hit the passenger car
target without slowing substantially in all the trials when it was
angled at 10 degrees and often when it was angled at 45 degrees.
The CX-5 and Taos also had trouble avoiding the offset bollard,
though the RAV4 avoided a collision in two of three trials and
slowed substantially in the third.
The basic-rated Tucson failed to slow or avoid a collision in
any of the scenarios. However, it did provide a warning as the
vehicle neared the target in some instances.
While rear AEB is becoming more common, it’s still not as
ubiquitous as front AEB, which automakers agreed to make standard
on nearly all new models as part of a voluntary commitment brokered
by IIHS and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Rear AEB was standard on only 23% of model year 2023 passenger
vehicles and only available as an option on another 32%. At the
current growth rate, most vehicles in the U.S. fleet won’t have it
until nearly 2050, a HLDI analysis shows.
Among the small SUVs tested, the feature is standard on the
Outlander and optional on the other seven models.
Rear crash prevention
ratings: small SUVs
2023-24 Ford Escape: SUPERIOR
2023-24 Honda CR-V: SUPERIOR
2023-24 Mitsubishi Outlander: SUPERIOR
2023-24 Subaru Forester: SUPERIOR
2023-24 Mazda CX-5: ADVANCED
2023-24 Toyota RAV4: ADVANCED
2023-24 Volkswagen Taos: ADVANCED
2023-24 Hyundai Tucson: BASIC
###
VNR:
Thur. 7/18/2024, 10:30-11 a.m. ET; repeat 1:30-2 p.m. ET (KU)
GALAXY 16 SD Transponder 15/Slot 6 (dl12015H) bandwidth 6 MHz;
symbol rate 3.9787 FEC ¾
HD Transponder 11/Lower (dl11911H) bandwidth 18 MHz; symbol rate
13.235 FEC ¾
For more information, go to
iihs.org
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an
independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization
dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries and property damage from
motor vehicle crashes through research and evaluation and through
education of consumers, policymakers and safety professionals. IIHS
is wholly supported by auto insurers.
- IIHS rear crash prevention ratings: small SUVs
Joe Young
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
504-641-0491
jyoung@iihs.org