Fuel Efficient Cars: Safety An Issue? RATINGS For Prius, Mini, More

If you're like us, there are a lot of things you worry about when choosing a car.

Fuel efficiency, cost, safety -- but some worry about fuel efficient cars' safety: are they as sturdy as the boats our parents and grandparents drove?

Here are a couple of quick fuel efficient cars safety ratings:

Toyota Prius Safety Rating
MINI Cooper Safety Rating
Smart Car rating not available

Find more using MSN or CarsDirect searches

You can also find the most and least fuel-efficient cars at fueleconomy.gov.

Comments

[Katharine Gleave]

According to this article in today's Houston Press, the Prius' safety concerns are greater than just crash ratings:

http://www.houstonpress.com/2009-04-23/news/wild-rides/

Things like unintended acceleration, fault brakes, stalling, etc. Scary stuff.

[michmudder]

Good link. Thanks!

[PSM42]

The Prius safety ratings are outstanding.

Presumably the unspoken suggestion is that we need a Big 3 car - perhaps a Hummer, or a Ford Extinction, to be safe. Wrong! Wrong for the environment. Wrong for the climate. And wrong on safety too.

[michmudder]

The 2009 Prius, however, is not a IIHS Top Safety Pick due to the "Marginal" rear impact crash test ( http://www.iihs.org/ratings/summary.aspx?class=40 ). No word yet from the IIHS on whether the 2010 will do better and match the 2010 Fusion Hybrid's IIHS Top Pick safety rating ( http://www.iihs.org/ratings/summary.aspx?class=30 ).

[katekid]

hello, benefit vs. risk
don't leave your domicile if you harbor such fear

[Angelus2007]

That is why I bought a mid-size car, I wanted a car that was 5 star driver and passenger front impact, and 5 star front and back side impact. I wasn't going to settle for anything less. So I settled on a mid-size. I did choose the 2.4L 4-cylinder rather than the 3.3L 6-cylinder. I also got ABS, side impact and side curtain airbags, plus electronic stability control. There was not a single car (at least in my price range) that offered than had more than 30 MPG combined city and highway. My safety is first and foremost.

[KillTheMessenger]

You can get 5 star impact on all but the rear impact from a Prius just as well, if I remember correctly. The rear impact test does not actually test the car body but the seats and the restraint system (whiplash). So if you want safety and fuel efficiency, you can buy a stock Prius and replace the seats with much better form seats and a four point safety belt.

However, any of this is theoretical. The star safety system was invented by the industry so they don't have to tell you the real performance (or suck) of the car's passenger cell and safety systems in detail. As an engineering evaluation system it is worthless. It's a pure sales tool. What happens in a real accident depends very much on the kind of impact. The typical killer impacts are hard to survive without major injuries in any car.

[Angelus2007]

I understand your point. But the Prius only have 4 star front impact. Even not counting the crash test, it doesn't have rear seat airbags, or the electronic stability control. Plus it was $4000 more to start than what I financed, it would be closer to $5,000-$6,000 more after taxes and tags, and I don't get all the same features, and it is smaller.

[marlovian]

"Revolutionary new internal generator converts the force of impact from SUVs into energy"

http://www.theonion.com/content/infograph/new_gm_segway_vehicle_coming?utm_source=b-section

[JnrNorman]

Drive Safely that is the key.


Coal Power plants fear cheap natural gas
http://www.lipower.org/newscenter/pr/2006/FuelCellGraph1.pdf

[KillTheMessenger]

Every car is only as safe as the driver.

[Angelus2007]

Tell that to someone who has been hit by someone that ran a red light. Or all the innocent drivers hit by drunk drivers every year.

[KillTheMessenger]

Your SUV won't save you from an idiot, either.

[PaloAltoPunk]

The 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan Hybrids are IIHS Top Safety Picks.