These Honda and Toyota Cars Earned Lower Safety Ratings in 2023
Honda and Toyota cars are synonymous with affordability, dependability, and safety. However, the most trustworthy vehicles can sometimes drop the ball in the face of thorough safety testing. For instance, the 2023 Honda Civic and 2023 Toyota Corolla sedans and hatchbacks lost their Top Safety Pick+ ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Which Honda and Toyota cars dropped their safety ratings for 2023?
These popular car models from Toyota and Honda dropped from a Top Safety Pick+ to a Top Safety Pick rating for 2023:
- 2023 Honda Civic Sedan
- 2023 Honda Civic Hatchback
- 2023 Toyota Corolla Sedan
- 2023 Toyota Corolla Hatchback
The IIHS gives the Top Safety Pick+ rating to the models it recognizes as top-performing in crashworthiness and crash avoidance. In order to award the ratings, the IIHS subjects cars to crash tests, like front and side impact evaluations. Vehicles that get “Good” ratings in every crashworthiness category can earn the top ratings from the agency. Additionally, the IIHS rates cars based on avoidance, mitigation, and child safety features.
In the case of the 2023 Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, both car models lost the “+” in their ratings from 2022 to 2023. However, both models and their hatchback variants retained a Top Safety Pick rating.
How safe is the 2023 Honda Civic Sedan?
The new Honda Civic Sedan earned a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS for 2023. That rating means the Civic is a suitably safe vehicle in the small car segment. However, the model had a higher rating in 2022.
The biggest blemish on the Civic Sedan’s scorecard is its updated side crash testing. Specifically, the Civic Sedan earned an “Acceptable” rating in the overall side crash test evaluation. Regarding the injury simulations, the driver sustained damage to the pelvis and torso, with scores as low as “Marginal.”
Are Honda Civic hatchbacks safe?
Like the sedan, the 2023 Honda Civic Hatchback held a Top Safety Pick+ rating until 2023, when it lost the “+” to an updated side impact test. Still, the Civic Hatchback is safe enough to earn suitable scores.
What is the safety rating of a 2023 Toyota Corolla?
The 2023 Toyota Corolla earned a Top Safety Pick rating for 2023 but lost the “+” it earned the previous year. Still, aside from one subcategory, the Corolla got a perfect scorecard.
Like the 2023 Honda Civic Sedan and Hatchback, the Toyota Corolla gets lower scores in an updated side crash test. Also, like the Civic, the Corolla has driver and rear passenger simulations that indicate injury to the pelvis.
Is the 2023 Toyota Corolla Hatchback safer than the four-door car?
According to the IIHS, the 2023 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Hatchback get identical safety scores and ratings. As a result, the hatchback variation also lost its Top Safety Pick+ rating from 2022 to 2023.
The Corolla and Civic earn commendable safety scores, even with the updated side impact tests. In addition to the scores from the IIHS, both Toyota and Honda cars earned five-star ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
