2016 Toyota Prius Earns Top Safety Plus Honor From IIHS

The Prius earned the top "Good" score in the notoriously difficult small overlap front test because the driver's survival space maintained its shape, including just two inches of maximum intrusion into the cabin. The front and side curtain airbags also kept the head well under control and protected it from the vehicle's structure. The agency found the risk of injuries to the legs and feet was also low. The results were an upgrade over the previous-gen Prius, which had an "Acceptable" score in the same test.

The IIHS gives the 2016 Toyota Prius' optional front crash prevention system with the organization's top "Superior" rating because the tech can avoid collisions at 20 and 40 km/h per hour. Either an Advanced or Superior score is necessary to earn Top Safety Pick+ honors. It judged the last-gen Prius' active safety equipment as "Advanced."

If you don't mind the design, the 2016 Prius offers customers a lot more than just safety. The model now gets 54 miles per gallon city, 50 mpg highway, and 52 mpg combined. We also found the latest generation's handling to be much better than the last one during our First Drive.

Check out the video of the crash test, below. If you don't like the way the Prius looks, maybe smashing it against a wall helps the styling.