Which 2015 mid-size pickup trucks are the safest according to the crash rating data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)? NHTSA performs several crash tests to evaluate all kinds of vehicles.
The most common tests are the frontal, side-impact, and rollover. Although, not all vehicle configurations are rated in every test.
Below is the comparison between the three latest midsize pickup trucks. There are three pickups shown here: the all-new 2015 Chevy Colorado, the 2015 Nissan Frontier, and the 2015 Toyota Tacoma. The 2015 GMC Canyon got identical ratings as its cousin, Chevy Colorado.
The frontal crash consists of simply running the vehicle into a wall at 35 mph. There is no overlap or offset. The truck simply hits a wall. All the ratings listed here are for extended cab trucks equipped with 4×4.
The Chevy and the Toyota get same 4-star overall rating. The GM truck gets the best 5-star side-impact rating, but it does not fare as well in the rollover evaluation. The Nissan Frontier was not retested using the latest NHTSA procedures, so it does not have an overall rating at this time.
NHTSA also performs rollover evaluation. It’s a moving test and the vehicle begins at speeds between 35 and 50 mph. The vehicle first swerves to left, then overcorrects to the right. The rollover risk is then calculated and expressed in terms of likelihood or risk.
The current generation of the Toyota Tacoma gets the best rollover rating at 19.1%. The Nissan Frontier is next at 19.8%, followed by the twin trucks from GM at 21.4%.
The latest mid-size pickups from GM have not received their IIHS ratings. The IIHS performs different tests and on of the more interesting is the roof strength test which determines the structural rigidity of the cabin.
Check the 2015 Full-size truck NHTSA crash rating comparison.
Also, check out the 2015 Toyota Tacoma take on the grueling Ike Gauntlet towing test.
