Ahead of the Curve

NEWS & EXPERT ADVICE TO KEEP YOU AHEAD OF THE CURVE™

ROAD REPORT

ASK OUR EXPERTS

Why don’t all cars have safety ratings?

All mass-market vehicles sold in the U.S. must meet federal safety standards, but crashtest ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tell consumers which cars are safest. It can take months or years for cars to be rated, so consumers who buy a model when it first comes to market might not have access to crashtest data. (Some vehicles, such as certain sports cars and other high-end models, are never rated.) CR advises consumers to wait to purchase a newly introduced model until crash-test ratings are available.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE

Smart New Picks for City Driving

These new cars and SUVs, all recommended by CR, are fuel-efficient, are the right size for on-street parking, and have standard automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, a key safety feature for driving in urban environments.

CAR Toyota Prius OVERALL SCORE 0 79 43 MPG CITY PRICE RANGE: $24,325-$32,500 CAR Mini Cooper OVERALL SCORE 0 79 23 MPG CITY PRICE RANGE: $23,400-$38,400

SUV Lexus UX OVERALL SCORE 0 80 32 MPG CITY PRICE RANGE: $32,300-$39,700 SUV Mazda CX-3 OVERALL SCORE 0 73 20 MPG CITY PRICE RANGE: $20,640-$22,040

TRENDS

Risky Driving Rises During Pandemic

With fewer cars on the road, dangerous driving behaviors rose on U.S. roadways in March and April. “It’s never safe to speed or be distracted, no matter how few cars are on the road,” says Jake Fisher, CR’s senior director of auto testing. 27% INCREASE IN SPEEDING 38% INCREASE IN PHONE USAGE 25% INCREASE IN HARD BRAKING THE VITAL STATISTIC 44%

Percentage of car owners who say fuel economy is the attribute that most needs improvement in their vehicle. It was cited above all other attributes, including purchase price (32%) and maintenance costs (29%).

Source: Nationally representative 2020 CR survey of more than 2,000 Americans.

TIP FROM OUR TEST TRACK

Double-Check Dealer Claims

In a recent CR investigation, 6 out of 38 salespeople stated that a vehicle was equipped with automatic emergency braking (AEB), even though it was not. “Consumers should always confirm what a dealer says about a vehicle’s safety features,” says Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at CR’s test track. Because AEB saves lives—and to avoid such confusion—CR has called for AEB with pedestrian detection to come standard on all vehicles.