Small SUVs Excel in Rear Autobrake

Seven out of eight small SUVs excelled in the IIHS rear crash prevention evaluation, addressing low-speed backing crashes that significantly impact insurance claims.

Key Highlights:

Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Mitsubishi Outlander, and Subaru Forester received the highest rating of superior.
Mazda CX-5, Toyota RAV4, and Volkswagen Taos earned an advanced rating.
Hyundai Tucson received a basic rating.
Rear cameras are required in new vehicles since 2018, but rear automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems are not.
Rear AEB systems can prevent thousands of dollars in damage, reducing collision claims and damage costs.

The evaluation was conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to assess the effectiveness of rear crash prevention systems in small SUVs. The tests focused on low-speed backing crashes, a common cause of insurance claims.

“Since 2018, new vehicles have been required to come with a rear camera that makes it easier to see where you’re going when you’re backing up,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “Rear automatic emergency braking systems aren’t required, making the feature far less common. That’s too bad because our research consistently shows that technology that intervenes on behalf of the driver is more effective in preventing crashes than other types of solutions.”

Evaluation Criteria:

Vehicles were rated on a scale of basic, advanced, and superior.
Ratings were based on their performance in 24 test runs conducted at 4 mph.
Systems were scored on their ability to avoid collisions or reduce speeds to less than 1 mph.

Detailed Results:

Ford Escape: Consistently avoided collisions in all test scenarios.
Subaru Forester: Avoided all collisions except when reversing toward a 45-degree angled passenger car.
Honda CR-V and Mitsubishi Outlander: Avoided collisions when the target was in line but hit targets at 10-degree and 45-degree angles.
Mazda CX-5, Toyota RAV4, and Volkswagen Taos: Struggled with angled targets, showing inconsistent performance.
Hyundai Tucson: Did not slow or avoid collisions in any scenarios but provided warnings.

Rear AEB systems, while not required, prove to be highly effective in reducing collision claims and damage costs. According to the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), rear AEB reduces the frequency of claims for damage to other vehicles by 29% and to policyholders’ vehicles by 9%.

“Rear AEB probably offers the biggest bang for the buck of any of the crash avoidance systems we monitor,” said HLDI Senior Vice President Matt Moore. “The cost of parking lot fender benders really adds up.”

However, the adoption of rear AEB systems remains slow, with it being standard on only 23% of 2023 passenger vehicles and optional on another 32%. At this rate, widespread adoption in the U.S. fleet won’t be seen until nearly 2050, according to HLDI.

Among the tested small SUVs, the Mitsubishi Outlander stands out as the only model with standard rear AEB, while it remains optional on the other seven models.

Yes, sign me up!