Some small cars fare poorly in side-impact
crash test

But the good news is, if you add a head and body protecting air bag to a small car with a good tough, structure, it can do better than a "poor" — like the 2005 Toyota Corolla.

Toyota also paid the Institute to test the Corolla twice — with and without its optional side airbags. It really is a dramatic difference.

"The main difference is we're looking at a skull fracture and brain injury here," says O'Neill as he watches the Corolla with no airbags. "And no head injuries at all over here," when the Corolla with head curtains and a bag that comes out of the seat to protect the body is tested.

The Corolla without the side airbags gets a "poor" rating. The one with airbags earns an "acceptable" — the Institute's second highest rating.      

The Institute did the same thing with the newly designed 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt.

"Look at the driver's head here," says O'Neill as he watches the Cobalt without side airbags. "This head is now struck by this intruding barrier that's driving into the occupant."A very serious event."

The Cobalt gets a "poor" rating without side airbags.

But when you add the optional side airbags, the Cobalt is "acceptable."

Side airbags with head protection in the Cobalt cost $395. Is it worth it?

"Look at the difference," says O'Neill.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is pushing manufacturers to put head- and body-protecting side airbags in all cars. It believes proper structural design and side airbags are critical for small-car safety.

So, of the 16 cars in this round of testing, 14 — some of them with side airbags and some without — rated "poor." But, remember, when optional side airbags were added to the Chevy Cobalt and the Toyota Corolla, they got the second highest rating, "acceptable".

"It proves that small cars don't have to be poor performers in this test," says O'Neill.

That is significant, O'Neill says, because it shows small cars can be made safer. But still, he cautions, small cars will never do as well as big cars in this kind of crash test.

"The fact they are smaller and lighter puts them at a disadvantage when they're hit by this relatively heavy moving barrier that represents an SUV," says O'Neill.     

IIHS CRASH TEST INFORMATION Company responses to crash test results Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (Full report results) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Many car makers, like Suzuki, note how difficult this test is. Volkswagen says it is the "most demanding test" in the world. Nissan states it is "extremely severe." Along with GM, Ford, Kia and Dodge, Nissan says this test is only one limited aspect of the entire safety picture.

Mitsubishi says it hasn't found "any real world incidents" that match the Institute's test results. Volkswagen and Hyundai point out their cars have earned "the highest rating" in the government's test. Toyota and most all the other manufacturers say their car meets or exceeds federal safety standards.

So cars can pass the government's test without a head airbag. But they can't pass your test without a head airbag. Is that fair?

"It's realistic," says O'Neill. "The government's test does not assess protection offered to the head. We do."

Does O'Neill think the tests are meant to embarrass manufacturers into coming up with better designs?

"They are certainly meant to embarrass manufacturers who have poor designs to improve them, yes," he says. "Because not all of the designs are poor."

The Institute also put two of these cars through a high speed "frontal offset" test, where one vehicle hits another, slightly off center.

The results?

The 2005 Kia Spectra was rated "acceptable" And the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt earned the Institute's highest rating, "good." The Cobalt was also named a best pick.  

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