Top Safety Pick +

2020 Lincoln Continental

large luxury car / 4-door sedan

Award applies only to vehicles with specific headlights

2020 Lincoln Continental 4-door sedan — 2017 Lincoln Continental shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Evaluation criteria	Rating
Small overlap front: driver-side
Small overlap front: passenger-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Headlights (varies by trim/option)
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Standard system	Superior

Seat belts & child restraints

Evaluation criteria	Rating
LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

Standard blind spot detection
Standard lane departure warning & prevention

Key

G
Good
A
Acceptable
M
Marginal
P
Poor

Superior
Advanced
Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Lincoln Continental Premiere 4-door

The Lincoln Continental was reintroduced in the 2017 model year as a replacement for the Lincoln MKS.

Evaluation criteria	Rating

Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

The frontal and side curtain airbags worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury.

The driver's space was maintained well, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN1710
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	5
Footrest (cm)	3
Left toepan (cm)	2
Brake pedal (cm)	4
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	1
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column	3
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	4
Upper dash (cm)	4
Lower instrument panel (cm)	5

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN1710
Head
HIC-15	77
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.6
Extension bending moment (Nm)	18
Maximum Nij	0.16
Chest maximum compression (mm)	21
Femur (kN)
Left	0.1
Right	0.0
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	0
Right	0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.49
Right	0.33
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	0.8
Right	0.0
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	24
Right	24

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Lincoln Continental Premiere 4-door

The Lincoln Continental was reintroduced in the 2017 model year as a replacement for the Lincoln MKS. Two passenger-side small overlap frontal tests of the Continental were conducted, one by the Institute and the other by Ford. Ratings are based on both tests.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the Institute's passenger-side small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame and dashboard after the crash test indicates that the passenger's survival space was maintained very well (Institute test car shown).

The frontal and side curtain airbags worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury (Institute test shown).

The passenger's space was maintained well in both tests, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1720	CEP1715
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	3	5
Footrest (cm)	1	5
Right toepan (cm)	2	2
Center toepan (cm)	1	1
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	1	2
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm)	1	2
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	2	3
Upper dash (cm)	2	4
Right lower dash (cm)	2	3

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1720	CEP1715
Head
HIC-15	190	141
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.1	0.7
Extension bending moment (Nm)	15	23
Maximum Nij	0.25	0.21
Chest maximum compression (mm)	20	18
Femur (kN)
Left	0.1	0.4
Right	0.4	0.2
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	0	0
Right	1	0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0	0
Right	0	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.46	0.41
Right	0.48	0.35
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	0.7	0.8
Right	1.1	0.8
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	29	18
Right	29	28

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1720	CEP1715
Head
HIC-15	54	50
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.7	0.8
Extension bending moment (Nm)	5	12
Maximum Nij	0.14	0.14
Chest maximum compression (mm)	21	27
Femur (kN)
Left	0.1	0.3
Right	0.1	0.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	0	1
Right	0	1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0	0
Right	0	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.40	0.21
Right	0.28	0.27
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	no data	0.4
Right	0.2	0.4
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	29	21
Right	35	33

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Lincoln Continental Premiere 4-door

The Lincoln Continental was reintroduced in the 2017 model year as a replacement for the Lincoln MKS. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Ford.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF1707
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm)	4
Left (cm)	6
Center (cm)	4
Right (cm)	6
Brake pedal (cm)	10
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm)	2
Right (cm)	2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm)	0
Rearward (cm)	-3
A-pillar rearward movement (cm)	1

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF1707
Head
HIC-15	129
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.6
Extension bending moment (Nm)	17
Maximum Nij	0.18
Chest maximum compression (mm)	26
Legs
Femur force - left (kN)	0.5
Femur force - right (kN)	0.6
Knee displacement - left (mm)	1
Knee displacement - right (mm)	0
Maximum tibia index - left	0.42
Maximum tibia index - right	0.44
Tibia axial force - left (kN)	1.6
Tibia axial force - right (kN)	2.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	67
Right	78

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Lincoln Continental Select 4-door

The Lincoln Continental was reintroduced in the 2017 model year as a replacement for the Lincoln MKS. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Ford.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

Technical measurements for this test

Test ID	VTS1705
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm)	-24.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS1705
Head HIC-15	247
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.9
Compression (kN)	0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	35
Lateral force (kN)	1.4
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	30
Average deflection (mm)	22
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	2.79
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.28
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	1.5
Acetabulum force (kN)	1.3
Combined force (kN)	2.8
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.2
L-M moment (Nm)	19
A-P moment (Nm)	48

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS1705
Head HIC-15	65
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.2
Compression (kN)	0.7
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	9
Lateral force (kN)	0.5
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	21
Average deflection (mm)	21
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	3.10
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.28
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	0.3
Acetabulum force (kN)	2.2
Combined force (kN)	2.5
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.4
L-M moment (Nm)	21
A-P moment (Nm)	78

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Lincoln Continental Select 4-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight	4,308 lbs
Peak force	21,861 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio	5.07

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power leather seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry

Technical measurements for this test

Seat type	Power leather seat
Geometry
Backset (mm)	12
Distance below top of head (mm)	10
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail	Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g)	14.6
Head contact time (ms)	52
Force rating	1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N)	8
Max neck tension (N)	479

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Headlights

Ratings are given for 2 different headlight variations available on this vehicle.

Trim level(s)

Reserve trim equipped with Luxury package
Reserve trim equipped with LED Headlight package
Black Label trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the left side of the road and fair on the right side. On curves, visibility was good on the sharp left and both right curves and fair on the gradual left curve.

The low beams created some glare.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on the gradual right curve and fair on the sharp right and both left curves.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway, on both left curves and on both right curves.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	Reserve trim equipped with Luxury package Reserve trim equipped with LED Headlight package Black Label trim
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating Applies to 2017-20 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	91.1 m	10.1%
Straightaway left edge	60.8 m	10.1%
250m radius right curve, right edge	69.8 m	None
250m radius left curve, right edge	62.6 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	57.6 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	57.5 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	161.1 m
Straightaway left edge	156.4 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	77.0 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	74.6 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	60.2 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	58.8 m

Trim level(s)

Select trim
Reserve trim
Premiere trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	HID projector
High-beam headlight type	HID projector
Curve-adaptive?	Yes
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

The low beams created excessive glare.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the left side of the road and inadequate on the right side. On curves, visibility was good on both left curves and fair on both right curves.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and on the gradual left curve.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	Select trim Reserve trim Premiere trim
Low-beam headlight type	HID projector
High-beam headlight type	HID projector
Curve-adaptive?	Yes
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating Applies to 2017-20 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	91.9 m	127.4%
Straightaway left edge	61.7 m	127.4%
250m radius right curve, right edge	70.0 m	11.4%
250m radius left curve, left edge	61.6 m	66.8%
150m radius right curve, right edge	62.4 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	64.2 m	70.4%

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	126.6 m
Straightaway left edge	148.3 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	71.9 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	80.9 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	61.3 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	68.1 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

Standard Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2019-20 models

Superior

This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

About the original front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim	Premiere
Seat type	leather

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor and the ability to borrow lower anchors from the other seating positions.

Note: When anchors are borrowed, they aren't available to use in their designated positions.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim	Premiere
Seat type	leather

Rating icon	Rating
G	Good
A	Acceptable
M	Marginal
P	Poor
	Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol	Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol	Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol	Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
	No hardware available

Details by seating position

Position	Rating
1
1	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	easy to maneuver around anchors
2
2	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	Can be borrowed from 1 and 3
3
3	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	easy to maneuver around anchors

Technical measurements for this test

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	4-6
Force (lbs)	10
Clearance angle (degrees)	65
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	6-8
Force (lbs)	11
Clearance angle (degrees)	61
Tether anchor
Location	Rear deck
Confusing hardware present	No
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	No
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
Lower latch is shared for this seat position
Lower anchor B
Lower latch is shared for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location	Rear deck
Confusing hardware present	No
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	No
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	4-6
Force (lbs)	9
Clearance angle (degrees)	74
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	4-6
Force (lbs)	11
Clearance angle (degrees)	72
Tether anchor
Location	Rear deck
Confusing hardware present	No
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	No
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation