The Institute's series of 4 tests (front and rear full-width impacts at 6 mph and front and rear corner impacts at 3 mph) produce the kinds and amounts of damage that commonly occur in low-speed collisions. Each vehicle is run into a steel barrier designed to mimic the design of a car bumper, with the barrier's plastic absorber and flexible cover simulating typical cars' energy absorbers and plastic bumper covers. These tests are designed to drive bumper improvements that lead to better protection from damage in a range of real-world crashes.
How the overall rating is determined: The front full and rear full test damages are multiplied by two — because in the real world full- width impacts occur approximately twice as often as corner impacts — and that total is added to the front corner and rear corner test damages. The sum is then divided by six to get the weighted average. This number determines the overall rating. The good/acceptable boundary is $500, the acceptable/marginal boundary is $1,000 and the marginal/poor boundary is $1,500. However, no vehicle can earn a rating of good or acceptable if it is deemed undrivable or unsafe after a test because of headlamp or taillamp damage, hood buckling, coolant loss, or the like. For further information, see our bumper test protocols.
Video: The Institute's 4 bumper test modes
Good Acceptable Marginal Poor | Vehicles are listed in order of performance
