2023 Subaru Crosstrek, Nissan Sentra, Kia Forte Fared Poorly in IIHS Crash Tests

• Front-seat safety has improved dramatically in the 21st century, but a lack of rear-seat safety technology is leaving passengers vulnerable.

• The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has implemented a passenger-focused moderate overlap crash test and the results are concerning.

• Small vehicles particularly struggle in this test, as models like the 2023 Nissan Sentra and Subaru Crosstrek received poor ratings for rear passenger restraints.

The small car market is certainly shrinking, but that doesn't mean it will be gone anytime soon. As bite-sized crossovers encroach upon the market traditionally held by hatchbacks and economy sedans, keeping prices low is an important part of retaining a significant portion of car buyers. But low prices shouldn't mean lagging safety, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says in its latest report.

The institute's latest round of moderate overlap crash tests shows most small cars on the market today are seriously lacking in back-seat protections. In fact, none of the five vehicles featured in this test earned the highest grade of good, with three earning the lowest grade of poor. And these aren't one-off, small-market vehicles being tested: the 2022-2023 Honda Civic, 2022-2023 Subaru Crosstrek, 2023 Toyota Corolla, 2022-2023 Nissan Sentra, and 2022-2023 Kia Forte were all tested.

One poor protection attribute was shared among all five of these popular models: submarining. As the child-sized, rear-seat dummy submarined underneath the seatbelt in a crash test, the IIHS says the risk of internal and abdominal injuries increased sharply. As a result, all five models received a poor rating in the rear passenger restraints and kinematics evaluation. However, some small vehicles offer more protection than others.

Specifically, Honda's tried-and-true Civic sedan as well as Toyota's Corolla sedan received acceptable ratings from the IIHS, with every other crash evaluation parameter (for front and rear passengers) meeting the highest IIHS standard of good. If you're splitting hairs between these two timeless economy models, your decision could be influenced by the size of your family, as the IIHS noted that rear-seat passengers in the Corolla were closer to hitting the front seatback.