Carmakers boosted their standings this year by increasing the number of safety features made as standard equipment. These include the addition of multiple airbags, crumple zones and crash-avoidance electronics.
This year’s top rated list saw a pickup truck make the cut for the first time ever. That honor going to the Toyota Tundra. Another first was Subaru’s new Impreza, which becomes the first small car to make the list since the introduction of stricter standards for the small car category last year, according to the Wall Street Journal.
To make the list, vehicles have to be equipped with electronic stability control as standard and achieve a top score of “good” in the front, side and rear impact testing. Vehicles are tested at speeds of 40mph for the frontal offset crashes and at 31mph for side impacts.