Chevrolet, Lexus, Subaru and Toyota Score Five-Star Safety Ratings

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently awarded its top rating of five stars to a number of new Chevrolet, Lexus, Subaru and Toyota vehicles. Kicking Tires writes, “NHTSA's crash tests examine vehicles' safety performance in frontal and side collisions, as well as roof strength in rollover accidents.”
Rear- and four-wheel drive models of the redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cab earned five stars overall, as well as five stars in front and side crash tests and four stars in rollover tests. The redesigned 2014 Lexus IS 250 also scored five stars overall, with a four-star rating in front crash tests and five stars for its performance in both side-impact and rollover tests for both rear- and all-wheel drive models. NHTSA’s latest top-performing vehicles also include the redesigned 2014 Subaru Forester and the 2014 Prius V, which performed identically in government crash tests. The Forester and Prius V earned five-star ratings overall, as well as five stars in side crash tests and four stars in front-impact and rollover tests.
While many recently-tested vehicles earned top ratings, Chevrolet’s new heavy-duty truck fell a bit short. When equipped with side-curtain and side-impact air bags, the rear-wheel drive Silverado 2500 crew cab scored four stars overall in NHTSA’s tests. Without side-curtain and side-impact air bags, the rear-wheel drive Silverado 2500 crew cab earned three stars overall. Regular cab versions of the Silverado 2500 performed worse, earning just two stars overall.