Top Safety Pick +Top Safety Pick criteria

2019 Volkswagen Tiguan

midsize SUV / 4-door SUV

Award applies only to vehicles with optional front crash prevention (2019 models only) and specific headlights built after June 2019

2019 Volkswagen Tiguan 4-door SUV

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
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

Headlights (varies by trim/option)
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Optional system
Superior
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)
Optional system
Advanced

Seat belts & child restraints

LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

  • Optional blind spot detection
  • Optional lane departure warning
  • Optional lane departure 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 2018-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL 4-door 4wd

The Volkswagen Tiguan was redesigned for the 2018 model year. It is larger and heavier than the earlier design and therefore is now classified as a midsize SUV. The earlier design remained in production for only the 2018 model year and was called the Tiguan Limited. The ratings on this page do not apply to the Tiguan Limited.

Overall evaluation
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 driver-side 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

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEN1720
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 4
Footrest (cm) 4
Left toepan (cm) 4
Brake pedal (cm) 1
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 0
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column 0
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 3
Upper dash (cm) 3
Lower instrument panel (cm) 3

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEN1720
Head
HIC-15 286
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.7
Extension bending moment (Nm) 9
Maximum Nij 0.29
Chest maximum compression (mm) 25
Femur (kN)
Left 2.4
Right 0.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 7
Right 0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.53
Right 0.66
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 2.1
Right 1.6
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 60
Right 86

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2018-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL 4-door 4wd

The Volkswagen Tiguan was redesigned for the 2018 model year. It is larger and heavier than the earlier design and therefore is now classified as a midsize SUV. The earlier design remained in production for only the 2018 model year and was called the Tiguan Limited. The ratings on this page do not apply to the Tiguan Limited.

Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Volkswagen.

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

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on passenger side

Test ID VTP1726
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 9
Footrest (cm) 7
Right toepan (cm) 5
Center toepan (cm) 3
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 1
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm) 2
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 6
Upper dash (cm) 3
Right lower dash (cm) 4

Passenger injury measures

Test ID VTP1726
Head
HIC-15 235
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.4
Extension bending moment (Nm) 16
Maximum Nij 0.26
Chest maximum compression (mm) 24
Femur (kN)
Left 0.5
Right 2.8
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 3
Right 2
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.33
Right 0.37
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 2.0
Right 2.0
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 59
Right 64

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTP1726
Head
HIC-15 127
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm) 10
Maximum Nij 0.20
Chest maximum compression (mm) 31
Femur (kN)
Left 0.0
Right 0.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 0
Right 0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.53
Right 0.21
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 1.1
Right 1.3
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 106
Right 57

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2018-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL 4-door 4wd

The Volkswagen Tiguan was redesigned for the 2018 model year. It is larger and heavier than the earlier design and therefore is now classified as a midsize SUV. The earlier design remained in production for only the 2018 model year and was called the Tiguan Limited. The ratings on this page do not apply to the Tiguan Limited.

Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Volkswagen.

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

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTF1711
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 3
Left (cm) 5
Center (cm) 5
Right (cm) 2
Brake pedal (cm) 3
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) 1
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -3
Rearward (cm) -6
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF1711
Head
HIC-15 267
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.7
Extension bending moment (Nm) 12
Maximum Nij 0.27
Chest maximum compression (mm) 32
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.5
Femur force - right (kN) 0.1
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.35
Maximum tibia index - right 0.45
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.9
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.9
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 55
Right 118

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2018-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan S 4-door 2wd

The Volkswagen Tiguan was redesigned for the 2018 model year. It is larger and heavier than the earlier design and therefore is now classified as a midsize SUV. The earlier design remained in production for only the 2018 model year and was called the Tiguan Limited. The ratings on this page do not apply to the Tiguan Limited.

Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Volkswagen.

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

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTS1709
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -25.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTS1709
Head HIC-15 105
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.9
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 26
Lateral force (kN) 1.2
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 34
Average deflection (mm) 26
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.66
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.54
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.0
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.6
Combined force (kN) 2.3
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.8
L-M moment (Nm) 86
A-P moment (Nm) 24

Passenger injury measures

Test ID VTS1709
Head HIC-15 134
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.1
Compression (kN) 0.6
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 31
Lateral force (kN) 1.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 27
Average deflection (mm) 23
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.02
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.34
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.2
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.8
Combined force (kN) 1.9
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.6
L-M moment (Nm) 130
A-P moment (Nm) 30

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2018-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4-door 4wd

Overall evaluation
Curb weight3,848 lbs
Peak force18,687 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio4.86

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power leather seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Power leather seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 34
Distance below top of head (mm) -13
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 11.2
Head contact time (ms) 67
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 12
Max neck tension (N) 365

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

Headlights

Ratings are given for 3 different headlight variations available on this vehicle.

Trim level(s)

  • SEL Premium trim; built after June 2019
Low-beam headlight typeLED projector
High-beam headlight typeLED reflector
Curve-adaptive?Yes
High-beam assist?Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination High-beam assist credit Some glare

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good in all 4 tests.

The low beams created some glare.

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 good on both right curves and fair on both left curves.

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

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • SEL Premium trim
Low-beam headlight type LED projector
High-beam headlight type LED reflector
Curve-adaptive? Yes
High-beam assist? Yes
Overall rating
Applies to 2019-21 models built after June 2019
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 108.0 m None
Straightaway left edge 62.0 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 77.0 m None
250m radius left curve, right edge 68.6 m 0.3%
150m radius right curve, right edge 69.7 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 63.4 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 142.6 m
Straightaway left edge 127.5 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 78.9 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 71.4 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 68.4 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 62.5 m

Trim level(s)

  • S trim
  • SE trim
  • SEL trim
Low-beam headlight typeHalogen reflector
High-beam headlight typeHalogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?No
High-beam assist?No
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was inadequate on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

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 inadequate in all 4 tests.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • S trim
  • SE trim
  • SEL trim
Low-beam headlight type Halogen reflector
High-beam headlight type Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive? No
High-beam assist? No
Overall rating
Applies to 2018-21 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 73.5 m None
Straightaway left edge 41.8 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 48.9 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 41.0 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 39.7 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 35.0 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 157.5 m
Straightaway left edge 119.5 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 56.4 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 56.5 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 44.5 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 44.3 m

Trim level(s)

  • SEL Premium trim; built before July 2019
Low-beam headlight typeLED projector
High-beam headlight typeLED reflector
Curve-adaptive?Yes
High-beam assist?Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination High-beam assist credit Some glare

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 both right curves and fair on both left curves.

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

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • SEL Premium trim
Low-beam headlight type LED projector
High-beam headlight type LED reflector
Curve-adaptive? Yes
High-beam assist? Yes
Overall rating
Applies to 2018-19 models built before July 2019
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 103.8 m None
Straightaway left edge 57.5 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 73.2 m None
250m radius left curve, right edge 62.0 m 139.8%
150m radius right curve, right edge 66.9 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 59.1 m 187.4%
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 158.5 m
Straightaway left edge 148.1 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 75.0 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 71.2 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 65.5 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 59.7 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

  • Optional Front Assist (with Autonomous Emergency Braking)

Package name

  • Optional Driver Assistance Package on S Trim
  • standard on SE, SEL, or SEL Premium Trims

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2018-19 models

Superior
Superior
with optional equipment
  • This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 24 mph.

About the original front crash prevention test

Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)

System details

  • optional Front Assist (with Autonomous Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Monitoring)

Overall evaluation

This rating applies to 2019-24 models of the following trim lines: S trim equipped with Driver Assistance package, SE trim, SEL trim, SEL Premium trim

Advanced
Advanced
with optional equipment

Crossing child

  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 12 mph.

Crossing adult

  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 20 mph.

Parallel adult

  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle failed to slow.
  • In the 37 mph test, this vehicle failed to slow. A warning was issued 0 seconds before impact.

About the pedestrian front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2018-24 models

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trimSEL
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 only.

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trimSEL
Seat type leatherette
1 2 3
GGood
AAcceptable
MMarginal
PPoor
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

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
difficult to maneuver around anchors
2
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
none available
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
difficult to maneuver around anchors
Technical measurements for this test

Seat position 21

3

Lower anchor A
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 0-2
Force (lbs) 10
Clearance angle (degrees) 50
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 0-2
Force (lbs) 7
Clearance angle (degrees) 42
Tether anchor
Location Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present Yes
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

Seat position 22

2

Lower anchor A
No lower latch for this seat position
Lower anchor B
No lower latch for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present Yes
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

Seat position 23

1

Lower anchor A
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 0-2
Force (lbs) 11
Clearance angle (degrees) 51
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 0-2
Force (lbs) 9
Clearance angle (degrees) 54
Tether anchor
Location Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present Yes
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