2015 Volkswagen Beetle

small car / 2-door hatchback

Crashworthiness

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

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle	Not available

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 2013-19 models built after March 2013

Tested vehicle: 2013 Volkswagen Beetle 2-door

The Volkswagen Beetle was redesigned for the 2012 model year after a one-year absence from the market. Beginning with 2013 models built after March 2013, the side airbags were reprogrammed to deploy in small overlap frontal crashes. Also, the door and B-pillar structure was modified to improve occupant protection. (Information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on the driver door or adjacent B-pillar.)

Evaluation criteria	Rating

Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics The dummy’s head barely contacted the frontal airbag before sliding off the left side as the steering column moved 12 cm to the right. Additionally, the seat belt allowed excessive forward excursion of the dummy’s head and torso, contributing to the head hitting the instrument panel. The seat-mounted combination head/torso side airbag did not deploy, despite the reprogramming, leaving the dummy's head vulnerable to contacts with side structure and outside objects.

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 reasonably well.

During the crash, the dummy's head and torso barely contacted the airbag before sliding off to the left as the steering column moved to the right. Additionally, the seat belt allowed the dummy to move too far forward, as is evident from the gap between the dummy's torso and the seat back, and the head hit the instrument panel.

Intrusion into the driver's space was reasonably well controlled, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN1316
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	17
Footrest (cm)	11
Left toepan (cm)	7
Brake pedal (cm)	4
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	9
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column	2
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	5
Upper dash (cm)	11
Lower instrument panel (cm)	10

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN1316
Head
HIC-15	293
Peak gs at hard contact	not meas.
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.6
Extension bending moment (Nm)	18
Maximum Nij	0.33
Chest maximum compression (mm)	23
Femur (kN)
Left	2.2
Right	1.6
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	2
Right	0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.53
Right	0.55
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	2.1
Right	2.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	94
Right	79

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2012-19 models

Tested vehicle: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle 2-door

The Volkswagen Beetle was redesigned for the 2012 model year after a one-year absence from the market. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Volkswagen.

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	VTF1120
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm)	3
Left (cm)	5
Center (cm)	7
Right (cm)	4
Brake pedal (cm)	2
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm)	0
Right (cm)	0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm)	0
Rearward (cm)	-3
A-pillar rearward movement (cm)	0

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF1120
Head
HIC-15	256
Peak gs at hard contact	25
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm)	31
Maximum Nij	0.24
Chest maximum compression (mm)	34
Legs
Femur force - left (kN)	0.5
Femur force - right (kN)	2.5
Knee displacement - left (mm)	0
Knee displacement - right (mm)	9
Maximum tibia index - left	0.40
Maximum tibia index - right	0.76
Tibia axial force - left (kN)	1.5
Tibia axial force - right (kN)	3.3
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	78
Right	183

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2013-19 models built after March 2013

Tested vehicle: 2013 Volkswagen Beetle 2-door with standard front seat-mounted combination head and torso airbags

The Volkswagen Beetle was redesigned for the 2012 model year after a one-year absence from the market. Beginning with 2013 models built after March 2013, the door and B-pillar structure was modified to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes. (Information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on the driver door or adjacent B-pillar.) The tested car was built after the modifications were made.

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 The dummy's head was hit by the window sill and then by the pillar behind the window. According to Volkswagen, both surfaces satisfy the federal standard to provide some protection for occupants' heads.

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with the door removed, showing the side airbag and damage to the occupant compartment.

The dummy’s head was protected from being hit by any hard structures, including the intruding barrier, by a side airbag that deployed from the seat.

Smeared yellow and red greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head was hit by the window sill.

Technical measurements for this test

Test ID	CES1305
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm)	-15.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CES1305
Head HIC-15	382
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.1
Compression (kN)	0.6
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	45
Lateral force (kN)	1.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	41
Average deflection (mm)	35
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	4.08
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.56
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	1.1
Acetabulum force (kN)	2.8
Combined force (kN)	3.3
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.6
L-M moment (Nm)	195
A-P moment (Nm)	55

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CES1305
Head HIC-15	393
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.1
Compression (kN)	0.1
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	33
Lateral force (kN)	1.4
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	36
Average deflection (mm)	25
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	7.36
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	1.11
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	0.1
Acetabulum force (kN)	1.3
Combined force (kN)	1.3
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.2
L-M moment (Nm)	126
A-P moment (Nm)	-69

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2012-19 models

Tested vehicle: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle 2-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight	3,024 lbs
Peak force	16,594 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio	5.49

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual leatherette seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry

Technical measurements for this test

Seat type	Manual leatherette seats
Geometry
Backset (mm)	38
Distance below top of head (mm)	34
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail	Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g)	14.2
Head contact time (ms)	54
Force rating	1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N)	51
Max neck tension (N)	265

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