Top Safety Pick

2015 Chevrolet Malibu

midsize car / 4-door sedan

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
Headlights
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Optional system	Basic

Seat belts & child restraints

Evaluation criteria	Rating
LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

Optional blind spot detection
Optional lane departure warning

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 2014-15 models

Tested vehicle: 2014 Chevrolet Malibu 1LT 4-door

The Chevrolet Malibu was redesigned for the 2013 model year. Beginning with 2014 models, the front structure and door sill were modified to improve occupant protection in small overlap frontal crashes.

For the 2016 model year only, the Malibu was renamed the Malibu Limited and sold when new only to fleets. The Malibu Limited shares no ratings with the redesigned 2016 Chevrolet Malibu.

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.

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

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN1412
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	8
Footrest (cm)	9
Left toepan (cm)	4
Brake pedal (cm)	3
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	2
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column	2
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	5
Upper dash (cm)	6
Lower instrument panel (cm)	6

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN1412
Head
HIC-15	112
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm)	11
Maximum Nij	0.16
Chest maximum compression (mm)	19
Femur (kN)
Left	1.2
Right	0.0
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	1
Right	0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.58
Right	0.43
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	2.9
Right	0.7
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	110
Right	51

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2013-15 models

Tested vehicle: 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco 4-door

The Chevrolet Malibu was redesigned for the 2013 model year. For the 2016 model year only, the Malibu was renamed the Malibu Limited and sold when new only to fleets. The Malibu Limited shares no ratings with the redesigned 2016 Chevrolet Malibu.

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

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	VTF1114
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm)	3
Left (cm)	5
Center (cm)	6
Right (cm)	5
Brake pedal (cm)	2
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm)	0
Right (cm)	0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm)	0
Rearward (cm)	-6
A-pillar rearward movement (cm)	1

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF1114
Head
HIC-15	327
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.8
Extension bending moment (Nm)	25
Maximum Nij	0.26
Chest maximum compression (mm)	26
Legs
Femur force - left (kN)	0.5
Femur force - right (kN)	0.9
Knee displacement - left (mm)	1
Knee displacement - right (mm)	1
Maximum tibia index - left	0.33
Maximum tibia index - right	0.31
Tibia axial force - left (kN)	2.2
Tibia axial force - right (kN)	2.6
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	51
Right	58

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2013-15 models

Tested vehicle: 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Chevrolet Malibu was redesigned for the 2013 model year. Initially, only the Eco model (a hybrid with a gasoline engine and an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery) was available in the new design. Other Malibu models with conventional powertrains were introduced later, when side torso airbags for rear seat occupants were made standard (they had been optional earlier). All Malibu models built after July 2012 have the standard rear side torso airbags. (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 side tests of the Malibu Eco were initially conducted, one by the Institute and one by General Motors. Neither car had the optional rear side torso airbags. A third test, this time of a Malibu LTZ with the standard rear side torso airbags, was then conducted by General Motors. Rear seat dummy torso injury measures improved for the third car, but each of the three tests produced good injury ratings for the rear seat dummies. Therefore, the ratings below are based on all three tests. Photos and videos are provided for the Institute test car.

For the 2016 model year only, the Malibu was renamed the Malibu Limited and sold when new only to fleets. The Malibu Limited shares no ratings with the redesigned 2016 Chevrolet Malibu.

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

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the Institute's crash test.

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

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag in the Institute's test.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Test ID	VTS1116	CES1205	VTS1204
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm)	-15.5	-16.5	-18.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS1116	CES1205	VTS1204
Head HIC-15	440	310	390
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.4	1.3	1.2
Compression (kN)	0.2	0.2	0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	50	40	43
Lateral force (kN)	1.6	1.6	1.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	41	44	45
Average deflection (mm)	36	35	40
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	4.21	3.65	5.24
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.66	0.68	0.79
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	2.2	1.8	1.2
Acetabulum force (kN)	3.3	2.1	2.7
Combined force (kN)	4.9	3.5	3.7
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	1.0	0.9	0.7
L-M moment (Nm)	31	58	22
A-P moment (Nm)	126	-33	99

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS1116	CES1205	VTS1204
Head HIC-15	330	310	140
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.4	0.2	0.2
Compression (kN)	0.6	0.8	0.7
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	44	32	13
Lateral force (kN)	1.6	1.1	0.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	41	30	20
Average deflection (mm)	32	23	16
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	3.64	3.48	2.39
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.64	0.32	0.18
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	0.4	0.2	0.2
Acetabulum force (kN)	2.1	1.8	1.7
Combined force (kN)	2.4	1.9	1.9
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.7	0.4	0.5
L-M moment (Nm)	18	128	50
A-P moment (Nm)	68	-92	98

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2013-15 models

Tested vehicle: 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco 4-door

For the 2016 model year only, the Malibu was renamed the Malibu Limited. Its roof rating is shared with 2013-15 models of the Malibu.

Overall evaluation
Curb weight	3,583 lbs
Peak force	18,721 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio	5.22

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual power cloth seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry

Technical measurements for this test

Seat type	Manual power cloth seat
Geometry
Backset (mm)	26
Distance below top of head (mm)	9
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail	Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g)	12.3
Head contact time (ms)	56
Force rating	1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N)	0
Max neck tension (N)	300

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)

LTZ trim equipped with Premium package

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

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

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	LTZ trim equipped with Premium package
Low-beam headlight type	HID projector
High-beam headlight type	HID reflector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	No
Overall rating Applies to 2015 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	92.4 m	None
Straightaway left edge	46.8 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	53.3 m	None
250m radius left curve, left edge	43.3 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	37.6 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	36.1 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	107.0 m
Straightaway left edge	103.6 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	54.9 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	59.2 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	40.6 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	42.8 m

Trim level(s)

LT trim
LTZ trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	Halogen projector
High-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	No
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 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 fair on the left side. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	LT trim LTZ trim
Low-beam headlight type	Halogen projector
High-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	No
Overall rating Applies to 2015 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	74.7 m	None
Straightaway left edge	32.8 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	42.2 m	None
250m radius left curve, left edge	35.1 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	38.5 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	32.2 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	147.3 m
Straightaway left edge	131.1 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	60.8 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	62.7 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	47.0 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	47.9 m

Trim level(s)

LS trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
High-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	No
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 inadequate in all 4 tests.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the left side of the road and fair on the right side. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	LS trim
Low-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
High-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	No
Overall rating Applies to 2015 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	66.3 m	None
Straightaway left edge	33.7 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	44.9 m	None
250m radius left curve, left edge	36.5 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	38.3 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	32.8 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	140.9 m
Straightaway left edge	144.7 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	58.5 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	59.9 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	44.3 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	46.3 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

Optional Forward Collision Alert

Package name

Optional Advanced Safety Package

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2013-15 models

Basic

with optional equipment

This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
Autobrake not available.

About the original front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2015 models

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim	1LT
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, a single lower anchor and the ability to borrow the second anchor from another position.

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

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim	1LT
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
	1 dedicated anchor and 1 that can be borrowed from seat 3
	too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	easy to maneuver around anchors
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)	2-4
Force (lbs)	15
Clearance angle (degrees)	61
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	2-4
Force (lbs)	14
Clearance angle (degrees)	60
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
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	4-6
Force (lbs)	14
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
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	4-6
Force (lbs)	17
Clearance angle (degrees)	74
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	N/A
Force (lbs)	11
Clearance angle (degrees)	74
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