Top Safety Pick +

2020 Toyota Avalon

large car / 4-door sedan

Award applies only to vehicles with specific headlights

2020 Toyota Avalon 4-door sedan — 2019 Toyota Avalon 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
Optional rear automatic braking

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 2019-22 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Toyota Avalon Limited 4-door

The Toyota Avalon was redesigned for the 2019 model year. Driver-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Toyota.

Evaluation criteria	Rating

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

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTN1805
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	2
Footrest (cm)	3
Left toepan (cm)	5
Brake pedal (cm)	2
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	0
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column	1
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	1
Upper dash (cm)	2
Lower instrument panel (cm)	3

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTN1805
Head
HIC-15	153
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.3
Extension bending moment (Nm)	7
Maximum Nij	0.21
Chest maximum compression (mm)	26
Femur (kN)
Left	0.7
Right	0.5
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	1
Right	0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.32
Right	0.59
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	2.1
Right	1.8
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	72
Right	57

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2019-22 models built after September 2018

Tested vehicle: 2019 Toyota Avalon Touring 4-door

The Toyota Avalon was redesigned for the 2019 model year. Beginning with 2019 models built after September 2018, the shape and vent hole size of the passenger frontal airbag were modified to improve occupant protection in passenger-side small overlap frontal 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.)

Two tests of the Avalon were conducted by Toyota, one built before the passenger airbag was modified and one built afterward,. These cars are rated separately, except that the structure, driver injury, and driver restraints and dummy kinematics ratings for the second car are based on both tests. Vehicle specifications shown below are from the second test.

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

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1825	VTP1818
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	3	3
Footrest (cm)	3	5
Right toepan (cm)	5	7
Center toepan (cm)	4	5
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	0	0
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm)	1	1
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	3	3
Upper dash (cm)	3	2
Right lower dash (cm)	2	2

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1825
Head
HIC-15	184
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm)	14
Maximum Nij	0.23
Chest maximum compression (mm)	21
Femur (kN)
Left	1.2
Right	0.9
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	4
Right	3
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.42
Right	0.35
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	2.6
Right	2.0
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	61
Right	67

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1825	VTP1818
Head
HIC-15	202	104
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.4	0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm)	24	7
Maximum Nij	0.22	0.20
Chest maximum compression (mm)	28	29
Femur (kN)
Left	0.3	0.3
Right	0.4	0.4
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	1	0
Right	0	1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0	0
Right	0	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.58	0.39
Right	0.29	0.21
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	0.2	0.4
Right	1.3	1.2
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	50	39
Right	48	44

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2019-22 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Toyota Avalon XLE 4-door

The Toyota Avalon was redesigned for the 2019 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Toyota.

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	VTF1807
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm)	6
Left (cm)	9
Center (cm)	8
Right (cm)	4
Brake pedal (cm)	1
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm)	2
Right (cm)	2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm)	3
Rearward (cm)	-1
A-pillar rearward movement (cm)	0

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF1807
Head
HIC-15	249
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm)	25
Maximum Nij	0.31
Chest maximum compression (mm)	27
Legs
Femur force - left (kN)	0.6
Femur force - right (kN)	1.5
Knee displacement - left (mm)	1
Knee displacement - right (mm)	1
Maximum tibia index - left	0.26
Maximum tibia index - right	0.59
Tibia axial force - left (kN)	1.7
Tibia axial force - right (kN)	2.9
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	109
Right	67

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2019-22 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Toyota Avalon Limited 4-door

The Toyota Avalon was redesigned for the 2019 model year. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Toyota.

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	VTS1804
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm)	-22.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS1804
Head HIC-15	323
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.7
Compression (kN)	0.0
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	23
Lateral force (kN)	1.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	25
Average deflection (mm)	23
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	2.90
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.30
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	1.4
Acetabulum force (kN)	1.2
Combined force (kN)	2.5
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.8
L-M moment (Nm)	82
A-P moment (Nm)	39

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS1804
Head HIC-15	105
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.3
Compression (kN)	0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	18
Lateral force (kN)	0.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	19
Average deflection (mm)	17
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	1.03
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.10
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	0.7
Acetabulum force (kN)	0.8
Combined force (kN)	1.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.4
L-M moment (Nm)	53
A-P moment (Nm)	34

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2019-22 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Toyota Avalon XLE 4-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight	3,590 lbs
Peak force	18,627 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio	5.19

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power leatherette seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry

Technical measurements for this test

Seat type	Power leatherette seat
Geometry
Backset (mm)	6
Distance below top of head (mm)	-9
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail	Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g)	11.5
Head contact time (ms)	52
Force rating	1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N)	0
Max neck tension (N)	123

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)

Limited trim
Touring trim
Hybrid Limited 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 both sides of the road. 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 and gradual left curves and fair on the sharp right and sharp left curves.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and all 4 curves.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	Limited trim Touring trim Hybrid Limited trim
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating Applies to 2019-22 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	98.7 m	None
Straightaway left edge	58.5 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	66.5 m	3.4%
250m radius left curve, right edge	57.4 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	56.5 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	56.9 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	167.8 m
Straightaway left edge	166.8 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	82.6 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	79.9 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	64.0 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	63.8 m

Trim level(s)

XLE trim
Hybrid XLE trim
XSE trim
Hybrid XSE trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	LED reflector
High-beam headlight type	LED reflector
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 inadequate on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was fair on both right curves and inadequate on both left curves.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

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

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and all 4 curves.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	XLE trim Hybrid XLE trim XSE trim Hybrid XSE trim
Low-beam headlight type	LED reflector
High-beam headlight type	LED reflector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating Applies to 2019-22 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	71.7 m	None
Straightaway left edge	41.8 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	59.6 m	None
250m radius left curve, left edge	41.5 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	49.4 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	35.1 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	150.6 m
Straightaway left edge	79.4 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	74.1 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	49.5 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	54.8 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	40.1 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

Standard Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection

Package name

Standard Toyta Safety Sense P (TSS-P)

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2019-21 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 2019-22 models

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation	+ extra LATCH positions
Vehicle trim	XLE
Seat type	leatherette

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	+ extra LATCH positions
Vehicle trim	XLE
Seat type	leatherette

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
	not 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
	not 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	Yes
Depth	Visible
Force (lbs)	0
Clearance angle (degrees)	78
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	Yes
Depth	Visible
Force (lbs)	0
Clearance angle (degrees)	81
Tether anchor
Location	Rear deck
Confusing hardware present	No
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	Yes
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	Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	Yes
Depth	Visible
Force (lbs)	0
Clearance angle (degrees)	77
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	Yes
Depth	Visible
Force (lbs)	0
Clearance angle (degrees)	78
Tether anchor
Location	Rear deck
Confusing hardware present	No
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation