Just 15 vehicles qualify for the TOP SAFETY PICK+ award from IIHS after the requirements were strengthened to include good-rated headlights and good or acceptable passenger-side protection in small overlap front crashes.
Another 47 vehicles earn the TOP SAFETY PICK award, which now requires acceptable or good headlights. In contrast, headlights weren’t factored in for 2017 TOP SAFETY PICK, and an acceptable headlight rating was enough to bump a 2017 award winner into "plus" territory.
The inclusion of a passenger-side crash test is a first for any IIHS award. The Institute developed the passenger-side small overlap front crash test after it became clear that some manufacturers weren't paying sufficient attention to the passenger side as they made improvements to achieve better performance in the driver-side small overlap front test.
Clayton, one of the largest home builders in America, is focused on providing affordable housing options that fit the needs and wants of millennials, who make up 35% of the company’s current customer base.
As a demographic, millennials also share different obstacles to obtaining homeownership than those who came before them. For instance, according to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies (HJCHS), many first-time home buyers possess the household income to qualify for homeownership, but struggle to save money for a down payment due to lingering debts from student loans and other debts. This combined with a low supply of available, affordable houses and a high pool of active buyers is driving up prices and competition. As a result, more millennials are choosing to rent or live with their parents. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the share of millennials in 2015, or adults born between 1982 and 2000, is over 25 percent of the population. At 87 million strong, millennials are the largest generation in history according to HJCHS.
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The Chevrolet Equinox and its twin, the GMC Terrain, are the only midsize SUVs out of nine evaluated to earn a good rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s small overlap front crash test, which continues to challenge manufacturers more than a year and a half after its introduction.
The Equinox and the Terrain qualify for the Institute’s highest award for 2014, TOP SAFETY PICK+. The Toyota Highlander, a midsize SUV whose acceptable small overlap rating was announced in December, also qualifies. The award is given to vehicles with a good or acceptable small overlap rating, good ratings in four other occupant protection tests, and a rating of basic or higher for front crash prevention.
Three other midsize SUVs in the test group rate poor for small overlap protection, and three are marginal.
