When investigating a new car like a hybrid, it is important to thoroughly understand the safety of the vehicle. As hybrids have only been on the road for about 5 years, their reviews are limited. Some of the information below will provide a brief introduction to the safety features on these highly efficient vehicles.
Many would argue that the fact that hybrids run on electricity as well as gas has no bearing on their safety. A Honda Civic Hybrid is available with the same safety features and characteristics as a conventional Civic. The same holds true for the Escape Hybrid and Escape, the Camry Hybrid and Camry, and for the Prius and its closest conventional siblings, the Corolla or Camry. Because hybrids are available in many segments-from two-door coupe to SUV-car buyers can see a boost in mpg without sacrificing any safety, utility, or performance.
As stated above, each hybrid has the same safety features as their conventional model. When applicable according to model, you can find all of the standard safety features as you would in most new cars: Airbags, Automatic Locking Seatbelts, Crash Resistant Door Pillars, Head Restraints, Antilock Brake Systems, etc.
In some of the more luxury vehicles, like the Lexus RX 400h for example, you can even find features like Back Up Sensing Systems, Night Vision, etc.
Several different safety certification agencies (Motor Trend, JD Power & Associates, NCAP) have released information regarding their crash test ratings. The conclusion shows that most hybrids tend to score 4 or 5 out of 5 in the following categories: frontal impact, side impact, and rollover resistance. The overall quality and safety of these vehicles is among the highest of their class; scoring above average overall. When applicable, their safety ratings are paralleled with their conventional counterparts. For more information about the individual ratings for each vehicle, check out:
Motortrend.com crash and safety ratings
JD Power and Associates crash test ratings
Good gas mileage. Safe. Reliable. The hybrid almost seems too good to be true. Make sure to keep these things in mind when buying a hybrid:
- The 2007 Nissan Altima has been recalled for engine and engine cooling problems while the 2007 Toyota Camry has been recalled for failed air bags.
- Hybrids have been criticized for being too quiet on the road; causing a threat to the blind and other pedestrians.
- The precise measurements of EMFs, electromagnetic fields, in hybrids are still unknown-making it hard to know if they affect your body.
- High voltage electricity can be dangerous and manufacturers are making these batteries shut down in an accident. Many emergency crews are getting special training for hybrid accidents.
The good news is that nobody has yet been injured or electrocuted by a hybrid electric vehicle. An extensive search of news archives failed to turn up any reports of service technicians, emergency responders or motorists being zapped by a high voltage hybrid. Let’s hope it stays that way.
If interested in owning one of these vehicles, it is important to research each of the individual models available. Being so new to the car market, there is limited information about their performance. Based on the information provided, hybrid models seems to be equally equipped for overall safety as their conventional counterpart. Below is a current list of hybrid models on the market.
| Coupe: -Ford Reflex -Toyota Volta -Volvo 3CCC -Honda Insight | Sedan: -Toyota Prius -Honda Civic Hybrid -Nissan Altima Hybrid -Toyota Camry Hybrid -Lexus GS 450h -Lexus LS 600h L -Hyundai Accent Hybrid -Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid | SUV: -Ford Escape Hybrid -Mercury Mariner Hybrid -Lexus RX 400h -Toyota Highlander Hybrid -Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid -Mazda Tribute Hybrid -Chrysler Aspen Hybrid -Cadillac Escalade Hybrid -Dodge Durango -Saturn Vue Green Line Two-Mode -BMW X6 Hybrid -Porsche Cayenne Hybrid | Pickup: -Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid -Toyota A-BAT Concept Hybrid Pickup Truck | Van: -Mercury Meta One -Toyota Sienna Hybrid |
