Great news for current and future Chevy Bolt EV owners and GM: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) just released the results of its safety test of the vehicle and it earned the top safety rating.
IIHS wrote in a press release:
“The Bolt earns good ratings in all five of the Institute’s crashworthiness tests — small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints. It also has an optional front crash prevention system that earns a superior rating. The car avoided collisions in IIHS track tests at 12 mph and 25 mph, and the system has a forward collision warning component that meets National Highway Traffic Safety Administration criteria.”
Based on the IIHS report, the only safety weakness of the vehicle is its headlights:
Despite its small front, the all-electric vehicle benefits from the lack of an internal combustion engine, which enables a larger than usual front crumple zone for a vehicle of this size.
IIHS found only “a low risk of any significant injuries” in both frontal crash tests.
The results come at a good time for GM, who just opened Chevy Bolt EV orders nationwide for deliveries in August. Safety is one of the top factors that people look into before buying a new vehicle.
Other electric vehicles, like the Chevy Volt, Tesla Model S, and more recently the Tesla Model X, have all benefited from strong safety ratings.
It could help GM move the Bolt EV. US sales of GM’s new all-electric vehicle increased to new high of 1,566 units last month. While it was a significant increase, it still lags behind the expected 25,000 to 30,000 deliveries during its first full year of production.
While it’s officially in almost all of the US’ most populous states, and now it can be ordered by all authorized dealers in every state, it still difficult to find the vehicle outside of California. You can always check with your local dealers for inventory and see if you can find a deal.
IIHS released the crash test videos:
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