102 vehicles meet NHTSA’s inaugural pedestrian safety criteria

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released on Friday the results of its first pedestrian-protection assessments for model year 2027 vehicles.

The assessments are part of the New Car Assessment Program 5-Star Safety Ratings. In the inaugural round, 102 vehicle models from 10 manufacturers met the new performance criteria designed to evaluate how effectively vehicle designs protect pedestrians in a collision, according to a NHTSA press release. NHTSA says the vehicle brands that meet the criteria include Subaru, Toyota, Lexus, Infiniti, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Acura, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Tesla, and Ford. Tesla and Ford were the only brands with one model each that meet the criteria: the Model 3 and the gas-powered Explorer. And of the models that made the list, not every trim level meets the criteria, according to NHTSA’s results.

NHTSA says the tests measure injury risks to the head, hips, legs, and knees using three impact scenarios:

• • Child and adult headform impacts to the hood and windshield area
  • Upper leg impacts to the hood’s leading edge
  • Full lower-limb impacts to the bumper

“NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings program is the gold standard. By adding a new category for pedestrian safety, we will help consumers make informed choices when buying a new or used vehicle,” said NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison in the release. “We expect this recognition to spark thoughtful inclusion of new pedestrian safety designs in more models, making new vehicles safer than ever.”

NHTSA says NCAP continues to evaluate crash protection and advanced safety features to help consumers choose safer vehicles and encourage automakers to protect drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.

NHTSA’s model year 2027 safety information includes:

• • “Crashworthiness ratings: Updated performance evaluations for frontal, side, and rollover crash scenarios.
  • “Crashworthiness pedestrian protection: Assessments detailing how well vehicles protect the head and upper and lower legs of pedestrians in the event of a collision.
  • “Crash avoidance technology: Evaluations for advanced driver assistance systems, including automatic emergency braking, pedestrian automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, blind spot warning, and blind spot intervention.”

Safety information is available at NHTSA.gov/ratings.

Last September, NHTSA postponed an NCAP update by one model year that would include more ADAS technologies, meant to address concerns expressed by the automotive industry, according to a Sept. 22, 2025 notice published in the Federal Register.

In late 2024, NTHSA published a final decision notice adding four new ADAS technologies to NCAP, including: blind spot warning (BSW), blind spot intervention (BSI), lane keeping assist (LKA), and pedestrian automatic emergency braking (PAEB). It also updated existing requirements for automatic emergency braking (AEB).

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation (Auto Innovators) criticized the NCAP last year, saying it needs to be modernized to promote innovation, encourage constant safety improvements, and empower consumers with clear information about vehicle safety.

“NHTSA isn’t rating new safety technologies fast enough or often enough to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions,” said John Bozzella, Auto Innovators president and CEO.

Images

Featured image credit: Vinh HN/iStock