40 MPG And Safe: IIHS Names Ten Top Picks

By Bengt Halvorson

Bengt Halvorson

Deputy Editor BIO

Bengt Halvorson is Deputy Editor of High Gear Media's portfolio of car sites, overseeing the production of reviews, evaluating vehicles firsthand... More

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2011 Lexus CT 200h

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2012 Honda Civic Hybrid, road test, Spring 2011

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Good occupant safety can come in small packages—even those that get 40 mpg or more.

That's one of the themes of the latest round of crash-test results and safety ratings released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Overall, there are now ten small-car and minicar models in the U.S. market that both earn the safety group's Top Safety Pick status and get EPA fuel economy ratings of at least 40 mph highway.

In order to earn the Top Safety Pick accolade, the models need to have available stability control, get top 'good' ratings for frontal, side, and rear impact, and earn a 'good' rating in the roof-strength-based rollover test.

This latest round of testing included top results for the 2012 Ford Focus; 2012 Honda Civic HF and Civic Hybrid; 2011 Hyundai Elantra; Lexus CT 200h; Toyota Prius; Volkswagen Golf TDI; and Nissan Juke. Of those, all but the Juke get 40 mpg or higher on the highway.

The Dodge Caliber, Honda CR-Z, Honda Insight, Nissan Sentra, Nissan Versa, Scion xD, and Suzuki SX4 were tested and rated but failed to earn Top Safety Pick status.

The IIHS now lists a total of twelve Top Safety Pick winners that get at least 40 mpg on the highway:

Small cars
Chevrolet Cruze Eco, 42 mpg
Ford Focus SFE, 40 mpg
Honda Civic HF 41 mpg; hybrid, 44 mpg
Hyundai Elantra, 40 mpg
Lexus CT 200h, 40 mpg
Toyota Prius, 48 mpg
Volkswagen Golf TDI, 42 mpg

Minicar
Ford Fiesta SFE, 40 mpg

Plug-in electrics
Chevrolet Volt, 90 mpg equivalent
Nissan Leaf, 92 mpg equivalent

[IIHS]