The 2019 Toyota Prius and Prius Prime qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Both small cars qualify for the award with standard equipment.
To qualify for a 2019 TOP SAFETY PICK award, a vehicle must earn good ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, as well as a good or acceptable rating in the passenger-side small overlap front test. It also needs an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention and a good or acceptable headlight rating.
The Prius Prime is a plug-in hybrid with a larger battery than the hybrid Prius, but the two vehicles share a common structure. The two small cars earn good ratings in five IIHS crashworthiness evaluations, and each earns an acceptable rating in the passenger-side small overlap crash test.
Both vehicles come standard with superior-rated front crash prevention systems that avoided collisions in IIHS track tests at 12 mph and 25 mph. Both models feature forward collision warning components that meet the criteria set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
All available headlights on both vehicles earn an acceptable rating. High-beam assist, a system that automatically switches between high beams and low beams, depending on the presence of other vehicles, comes standard.
Toyota has previously earned safety awards for five other 2019 models. The Corolla hatchback and Highlander earn TOP SAFETY PICK awards while the Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES earn the higher-tier TOP SAFETY PICK+ award.
SOURCE: IIHS
