Three of six large car models earn the top rating of good, but one is marginal in side impact crash tests conducted by the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The Acura RL, Kia Amanti and Volvo S80 all earned the highest safety rating. The Cadillac STS and Mercedes E-Class earned the second-highest rating.  The 2008 BMW 5 Series was the worst performer in side-impact crash tests of luxury sedans.  All 6 cars are equipped with standard side airbags that protect the heads of people in front and rear seats.

How side tests are conducted: A vehicle’s side evaluation is based on performance in a crash test in which the side of the vehicle is struck by a barrier moving at 31 mph. The barrier represents the front end of a pickup or SUV. Overall ratings reflect injury measures recorded on two instrumented SID-IIs dummies, assessment of head protection countermeasures, and the vehicle’s structural performance during the test. Injury measures obtained from the two dummies, one in the driver seat and the other in the back seat behind the driver, are used to determine the likelihood that a driver and/or passenger in a real-world crash would sustain serious injury to various body regions. The movements and contacts of the dummies’ heads during the test also are evaluated. Structural performance is based on measurements indicating the amount of B-pillar intrusion into the occupant compartment.