About our tests

We currently maintain ratings in eight tests. Click on the icons below to learn about them.

Transparency is one of the keys to the success of our ratings program. All of our test protocols are available here.

Discontinued tests

Our test lineup has evolved over the years, as we challenge vehicle manufacturers to continually improve the safety of their products. The tests below have been discontinued; some have been replaced with more demanding versions described above. You can still find ratings from these tests for older models on our website.

• Original moderate overlap front
• Original side
• Original front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
• Roof strength
• Head restraints

Keeping our ratings up-to-date

Manufacturers are constantly making changes to their vehicles. Time and budget constraints make it impossible for IIHS to test every model every year. Fortunately, in many cases, we don’t need to.

Each year, we determine whether vehicles are changing in any way that could affect their performance in crash tests — for example, if modifications are being made to the structure or to airbags. Manufacturers provide this information, and we check it against information from trade journals, auto shows and other sources. If there are no changes, the rating from the previous model gets carried over.

On a case-by-case basis, we also extend ratings to models that share a platform with a rated model if there are no major differences in structure, airbags, seat belts or weight. Sometimes, we can extend ratings to plug-in hybrid variants of a rated gas vehicle, but fully electric variants must always be tested separately.

Fresh tests are needed for any vehicle that is new or has undergone big changes. In many cases, we conduct these at the IIHS Vehicle Research Center. We purchase the vehicles from dealers just like an ordinary consumer. If the test is being conducted at the manufacturer’s request and isn’t part of our regular testing schedule, then the manufacturer reimburses us for the vehicle.

However, in many situations, we don’t need to conduct the test ourselves and can instead accept data from tests conducted by manufacturers.

We don’t accept manufacturer tests for headlight evaluations or for the updated moderate overlap test. We accept manufacturer tests for other ratings in accordance with our eligibility policy, which factors in the history of both the manufacturer and the particular model.

A key benefit of accepting manufacturer tests is that it enables us to provide consumers with more complete, up-to-date information while freeing IIHS engineers to conduct research and develop new tests.

To ensure good faith participation, we conduct occasional audit tests of vehicles that have been tested by manufacturers to make sure our results don’t differ significantly.