After modifications to improve driver's seat protection in frontal and rear crashes, the 2012 Fiat 500 has received a rare designation for a subcompact car — Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
The designation applies only to Fiats built after July 2011, and the minicar joins the 2011 Ford Fiesta among the few small cars to receive the top safety classification.
According to the IIHS, the award requires a car to earn the highest ratings–known simply as "good" — in front, side, rear, and rollover tests. Top honorees also must include a standard electronic stability control system, now a Federal requirement.
The front crashworthiness evaluation uses a 40-mph offset crash, while the side evaluation slams a barrier into the test car at 31 mph. The rear protection is evaluated by hitting the stationary vehicle at 20 mph, and the roof crush test provides good scores if the test car withstands four times its own weight.
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Article Last Updated: October 19, 2011.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
