2014 Chevy Spark Becomes First—and Only—Minicar Top Safety Pick

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently put a dozen entries from its “Minicar” category—including a mix of traditional subcompacts and smaller vehicles—through its latest round of testing and just one managed to earn the Institute’s Top Safety Pick recognition: The 2014 Chevy Spark. Those not making the cut were the Mazda Mazda2, Kia Rio, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta, Nissan Versa sedan, Toyota Prius c, Hyundai Accent, Fiat 500 and Honda Fit.

Now, some of this is just physics, with Joe Nolan, the IIHS’ senior vice president for vehicle research, noting that: "Small, lightweight vehicles have an inherent safety disadvantage. That’s why it’s even more important to choose one with the best occupant protection.”

But that’s not the only factor at work here. Vehicles from across the industry have lost their Top Safety Pick status since the IIHS adjusted its testing criteria for the new year. As a reminder, the Institute now requires Top Safety Picks to earn “acceptable” or “good” grades in a test of occupant protection when a front corner of a vehicle strikes a narrow obstacle like a tree or utility pole. And that was the stumbling block for all those small cars and many others. Consider: In the very first wave of vehicles tested under the new criteria, 39 received either Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ honors; at the same point the previous year, 130 vehicles received IIHS honors.

As for the 2014 Chevy Spark, it combined an “acceptable” score in the small front-overlap test with “good” marks, the highest given, for moderate front-overlap and side-crash scenarios, head-restraint performance, and roof strength. Helping matters, the Spark also combines 10 standard airbags with a body structure made of high-strength yet lightweight steel, with that advanced metal used in components like the car’s roof bow and B-pillars.

The party line from Gay Kent, General Motors general director of Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness: “Spark’s impressive performance in IIHS’s most stringent test yet demonstrates the intensive efforts of our global safety team to deliver big safety in a small package.”