2014 Honda Odyssey Earns 5-Star NHTSA Safety Rating

It's not much of a surprise, but it is worth recognizing the fact that the 2014 Honda Odyssey recently received a 5-star Overall Safety Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). After all, while you might think that every player in the minivan segment would achieve that mark, such is not the case. The 2014 Kia Sedona and 2014 Toyota Sienna also have earned 5-star NHTSA scores, but the 2014 Chrysler Town & Country, as well as its corporate cousin, the 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan, are 4-star performers. The only other minivan on the market is the Nissan Quest, but the current-generation models remain unrated by NHTSA.

Although, to be fair, the Chrysler Group duo does show the exact same individual scores as the Toyota, with all three earning 4 stars for occupant protection in frontal crash and rollover scenarios, and 5 stars for side-crash protection. The 2014 Honda Odyssey and Kia Sedona received 5 stars in the frontal- and side-crash evaluations, along with a 5-star grade in the rollover test.

Now, it's also unsurprising that Honda decided to leverage the NHTSA results for the 2014 Honda Odyssey to also boast about its performance in safety testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). As folks may remember, the 2014 Honda Odyssey is the only minivan to earn the Institute's new Top Safety Pick+ designation, which had its criteria tightened up once again for the new model year.

For example, that "+" mark only goes to models that offer forward-collision warning. On the other hand, even the entry-level versions of the 2014 Honda Odyssey received "Good" marks—the highest possible—in the notoriously difficult-to-pass small front-overlap safety test.

"With a 14-year history of top ratings in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program, even as those top ratings have become harder to achieve, family car buyers have learned that the Odyssey is designed to help take care of their precious cargo," said Art St. Cyr, vice president of product planning and logistics at American Honda. "For customers looking to buy a minivan that achieves the highest-available safety ratings from the NHTSA and the IIHS, the Odyssey is the one and only choice."

Another non-coincidence: American Honda has more Top Safety Pick+ entries than any other automaker, with six that include not just the 2014 Honda Odyssey, but also the 2014 Honda Accord (sedan and coupe), Honda Civic (sedan), Acura RLX and Acura MDX.