Photo: Volvo
Volvo made a name for itself in producing safe automobiles, and this is no news to anyone familiar with the automotive industry. They recently earned a perfect ten score to honor their tough-as-nails and safe carmaking tradition. Yet another maximum score from the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), this time for the Volvo XC40.
The small SUV is the only automobile in this class to have received a Good rating for each of the ten categories of occupant safety-related measurements conducted by the institute. For clarification, IIHS rates automotive performance from Good (the highest grade) to Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor. Volvo nailed every one of them with the XC40 (2021 to 2023 model years). You can check the list of the other tested brands and models in the gallery.
By comparison, only two out of the fifteen-car test batch achieved the Good score, the best-in-class Volvo XC40, and the Ford Escape. The IIHS used the updated moderate overlap 2.0 test - my colleague Sebastian Toma covers this topic in detail here. The upgraded scoreboard considers the protection offered to both row seats instead of just front-passenger safety. The video shows how each model performed during the simulated crashes (the XC40 Volvo is at the 1:05 mark).
"Built like tanks" is a common phrase used to describe the quality of Volvo cars, and the Swedes take no shortcuts when building solid and sturdy vehicles – facts proven by a 2014 IIHS test with the XC90 model. At the time, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety had just introduced the small overlaps front crash test, and Volvo topped their scale with the first-generation SUV. However, there is a catch. The car used in that crash test eight years ago was Volvo's 2003 model year platform without any modifications.
IIHS praised the Swedish company, stating that "while many vehicles have had to undergo significant structural changes to earn good ratings in the small overlap test, the [2014] XC90 has had the same basic platform since 2003." By comparison, the car used in this year's tests is based on a 2017 platform.
The small Volvo SUV is crowning a thumbs-up year for the Swedes with the IIHS testing. Eight months ago, the Scandinavians received the best ratings for every model tested (ICE, PHEV, and BEV). This flawless "GPA" makes Volvo the most awarded 2022 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ brand. "At Volvo Cars, we have always designed and built our cars to our own exacting safety standards based on our knowledge studying real-world crashes," said Thomas Broberg, acting head of the Volvo Cars Safety Center.
By comparison, only two out of the fifteen-car test batch achieved the Good score, the best-in-class Volvo XC40, and the Ford Escape. The IIHS used the updated moderate overlap 2.0 test - my colleague Sebastian Toma covers this topic in detail here. The upgraded scoreboard considers the protection offered to both row seats instead of just front-passenger safety. The video shows how each model performed during the simulated crashes (the XC40 Volvo is at the 1:05 mark).
"Built like tanks" is a common phrase used to describe the quality of Volvo cars, and the Swedes take no shortcuts when building solid and sturdy vehicles – facts proven by a 2014 IIHS test with the XC90 model. At the time, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety had just introduced the small overlaps front crash test, and Volvo topped their scale with the first-generation SUV. However, there is a catch. The car used in that crash test eight years ago was Volvo's 2003 model year platform without any modifications.
IIHS praised the Swedish company, stating that "while many vehicles have had to undergo significant structural changes to earn good ratings in the small overlap test, the [2014] XC90 has had the same basic platform since 2003." By comparison, the car used in this year's tests is based on a 2017 platform.
The small Volvo SUV is crowning a thumbs-up year for the Swedes with the IIHS testing. Eight months ago, the Scandinavians received the best ratings for every model tested (ICE, PHEV, and BEV). This flawless "GPA" makes Volvo the most awarded 2022 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ brand. "At Volvo Cars, we have always designed and built our cars to our own exacting safety standards based on our knowledge studying real-world crashes," said Thomas Broberg, acting head of the Volvo Cars Safety Center.
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