Top Safety Pick +Top Safety Pick criteria

2017 Lexus RC

large luxury car / 2-door coupe

Award applies only to vehicles with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights

2017 Lexus RC 2-door coupe
2015 Lexus RC shown

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
Advanced

Seat belts & child restraints

LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

  • Optional blind spot detection

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 2015-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2015 Lexus RC 350 F Sport 2-door

The Lexus RC was introduced in the 2015 model year and is derived from the Lexus GS.

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 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 CEN1448
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 8
Footrest (cm) 7
Left toepan (cm) 5
Brake pedal (cm) 7
Parking brake (cm) 11
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 4
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column 0
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 4
Upper dash (cm) 4
Lower instrument panel (cm) 4

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEN1448
Head
HIC-15 105
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm) 7
Maximum Nij 0.20
Chest maximum compression (mm) 20
Femur (kN)
Left 1.2
Right 1.7
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 2
Right 2
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.56
Right 0.43
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 2.4
Right 2.7
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 67
Right 59

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2015-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2015 Lexus RC 350 F Sport 2-door

The Lexus RC was introduced in the 2015 model year and is derived from the Lexus GS. Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Toyota.

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 VTP1705
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 14
Footrest (cm) 8
Right toepan (cm) 6
Center toepan (cm) 6
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 9
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm) 0
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 5
Upper dash (cm) 4
Right lower dash (cm) 5

Passenger injury measures

Test ID VTP1705
Head
HIC-15 280
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.5
Extension bending moment (Nm) 30
Maximum Nij 0.30
Chest maximum compression (mm) 24
Femur (kN)
Left 1.4
Right 1.0
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 3
Right 3
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.46
Right 0.31
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 3.3
Right 2.4
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 61
Right 65

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTP1705
Head
HIC-15 113
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm) 5
Maximum Nij 0.20
Chest maximum compression (mm) 24
Femur (kN)
Left 0.7
Right 1.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 2
Right 1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.35
Right 0.26
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 2.1
Right 1.9
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 32
Right 42

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2015-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2015 Lexus RC 350 F Sport 2-door

The Lexus RC was introduced in the 2015 model year and is derived from the Lexus GS. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Toyota.

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 VTF1413
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 6
Left (cm) 6
Center (cm) 6
Right (cm) 3
Brake pedal (cm) 6
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -2
Rearward (cm) -3
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF1413
Head
HIC-15 149
Peak gs at hard contact 23
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm) 5
Maximum Nij 0.20
Chest maximum compression (mm) 24
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 1.2
Femur force - right (kN) 2.2
Knee displacement - left (mm) 2
Knee displacement - right (mm) 4
Maximum tibia index - left 0.34
Maximum tibia index - right 0.61
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.1
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 3.4
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 45
Right 65

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2015-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2015 Lexus RC 350 F Sport 2-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Lexus RC was introduced in the 2015 model year.

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 crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with door 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.

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

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES1406
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -26.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES1406
Head HIC-15 101
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.6
Compression (kN) 0.7
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 44
Lateral force (kN) 1.4
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 25
Average deflection (mm) 20
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.51
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.24
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.0
Acetabulum force (kN) 0.9
Combined force (kN) 2.0
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.3
L-M moment (Nm) 134
A-P moment (Nm) 39

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES1406
Head HIC-15 86
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.2
Compression (kN) 0.8
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 20
Lateral force (kN) 1.2
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 20
Average deflection (mm) 15
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 1.91
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.14
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.9
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.2
Combined force (kN) 2.0
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.6
L-M moment (Nm) 84
A-P moment (Nm) -33

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2015-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2015 Lexus RC 350 F Sport 2-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight3,812 lbs
Peak force19,733 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio5.18

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power leather seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Power leather seat
Geometry
Backset (mm) 16
Distance below top of head (mm) 21
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 13.4
Head contact time (ms) 57
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 0
Max neck tension (N) 340

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)

  • Turbo trim
  • 300 trim
  • 350 trim
Low-beam headlight typeLED projector
High-beam headlight typeLED projector
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 good on the right side of the road and fair on the left side. On curves, visibility was fair on the sharp left and both right curves and inadequate on the gradual left curve.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

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

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • Turbo trim
  • 300 trim
  • 350 trim
Low-beam headlight type LED projector
High-beam headlight type LED projector
Curve-adaptive? No
High-beam assist? No
Overall rating
Applies to 2016-17 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 103.8 m None
Straightaway left edge 51.1 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 64.9 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 52.0 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 52.2 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 49.5 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 165.2 m
Straightaway left edge 143.7 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 71.9 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 71.3 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 54.8 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 57.4 m

Trim level(s)

  • Turbo trim equipped with Premium Triple Beam LED Headlamps package
  • 300 trim equipped with Premium Triple Beam LED Headlamps package
  • 350 trim equipped with Premium Triple Beam LED Headlamps package
Low-beam headlight typeLED projector
High-beam headlight typeLED projector
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 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 fair on the right side of the road and inadequate on the left side. On curves, visibility was good on the gradual right curve and fair on the sharp right and both left curves.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • Turbo trim equipped with Premium Triple Beam LED Headlamps package
  • 300 trim equipped with Premium Triple Beam LED Headlamps package
  • 350 trim equipped with Premium Triple Beam LED Headlamps package
Low-beam headlight type LED projector
High-beam headlight type LED projector
Curve-adaptive? No
High-beam assist? No
Overall rating
Applies to 2016-17 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 66.0 m None
Straightaway left edge 33.4 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 57.1 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 32.2 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 52.4 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 34.2 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 135.5 m
Straightaway left edge 125.2 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 78.7 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 66.7 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 60.5 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 57.2 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

  • Optional Pre-Collision System

Package name

  • Optional Pre-Collision System

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2015-17 models

Advanced
Advanced
with optional equipment
  • This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle nearly avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 8 mph.

About the original front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2017-24 models

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trimRC 300
Seat type leather

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trimRC 300
Seat type leather
1 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
easy to maneuver around anchors
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

Seat position 21

3

Lower anchor A
Open access rated Yes
Depth Visible
Force (lbs) 0
Clearance angle (degrees) 68
Lower anchor B
Open access rated Yes
Depth Visible
Force (lbs) 0
Clearance angle (degrees) 64
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

Seat position 23

1

Lower anchor A
Open access rated Yes
Depth Visible
Force (lbs) 0
Clearance angle (degrees) 67
Lower anchor B
Open access rated Yes
Depth Visible
Force (lbs) 0
Clearance angle (degrees) 62
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