The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced that the Volvo XC40 is the only small SUV tested in its updated moderate overlap 2.0 test to receive an overall “Good” rating in every test category (as of December 2022).
One of only two vehicles to receive an overall “Good” rating, the Volvo XC40 was the only small SUV to achieve a “Good” rating in every individual test category as well, based on the test showing minimal risk of injuries for all passengers.
The IIHS is updating its longest-running crash test, the moderate overlap front evaluation, to address what it calls a growing gap in the protection provided for front and rear occupants. To achieve a “Good” rating in the updated test, vehicles must not only indicate minimal risk of injuries for front-row passengers but now must also show minimal risk of injuries for second-row passengers as well.
Volvo Cars has a history of top performance in newly introduced safety tests. Despite being introduced in 2002, in 2014 the first-generation Volvo XC90 achieved a “Good” rating in the then newly introduced small overlap front crash test. According to the IIHS, “while many vehicles have had to undergo significant structural changes to earn good ratings in the small overlap test, the [2014] XC90 has had the same basic platform since 2003.”
Now, the XC40—introduced in 2017—has passed another new test without major structural changes. This result builds on a successful 2022 in IIHS testing for Volvo Cars. In April 2022 it was announced that Volvo Cars had achieved the highest rating from IIHS for every model tested, including plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, becoming the most awarded 2022 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ brand as of April 2022.
