The Toyota Sienna stumbled, the Chrysler Pacifica turned in an acceptable performance and the Honda Odyssey finished strong in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s passenger-side small overlap front crash test.
The 2018–19 model minivans are the latest group to be put through the passenger-side small overlap test. A small overlap crash occurs when just the front corner of the vehicle strikes another vehicle or an object such as a tree or utility pole. IIHS began rating vehicles for occupant protection in a driver-side small overlap front crash in 2012 and added the passenger-side test last year to make sure occupants on both sides of the vehicle get equal protection.
Manufacturers are making fast improvements to secure a good or acceptable rating in the passenger-side test, one of the requirements to earn a 2018 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award.
