LEAF scores top marks in US crash test
Nissan's World Car of the Year rates highly in Insurange Institute for Highway Safety testsNissan's all-electric LEAF has backed up its World Car of the Year title by scoring the highest possible safety rating in a crash test by the peak US insurance body.
The LEAF, along with Chevrolet's range-extender Volt, scored the Insurange Institute for Highway Safety's "Good" rating; the highest of the institute's four rankings.
It's another shot in the arm for the electric-car movement, alleviating public fears of electrical fires in heavy impacts.
The LEAF and the Volt join 80 of the 140 tested 2011-2012 models in achieving the top ranking, which demands crash protection levels significantly higher than the US Government's mandated minimums.
The cars were put through a range of tests, according to the Institute's Russ Rader, including a rollover test and front, rear and side collisions with other vehicles.
"What explains the Volt's and the LEAF's performance is the crash engineering that went into their development," Rader suggested.
He explained that both vehicles had well-engineered crumple zones between the bumper and the passenger compartment, as well as strong side-impact protection.
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