2023 Prius and Prius Prime Earn Highest Possible Safety Rating In New Tests

The 2023 Toyota Prius and the plug-in hybrid-electric Prius Prime have just been awarded the highest possible safety rating by the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS). Each can proudly boast that they carry the Top Safety Pick Plus (TSP+) designation.

The TSP+ from IIHS is the hardest safety rating to earn in America. Much more challenging than the stars that NHTSA gives out like candy to nearly every vehicle it tests. IIHS carries out the toughest crash tests at the highest crash speeds and continuously makes its tests more difficult as time passes.

To qualify for the IIHS TSP+ in 2023, a vehicle must earn Good ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, and original moderate overlap front tests. In addition, Acceptable or Good headlights must be standard across all trims, and a front crash prevention system that earns Advanced or Superior ratings in the daytime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluation must be available plus a Good rating in the updated side test and an advanced or superior rating in the nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian test. Both Prius cars earned their spots by aceing all the tests. 

So what differentiates the newly-designed Prius cars from prior generations? Well, for one thing, their scores on the passenger-side small overlap front crash test. Also, the outgoing cars were tested to the older, less rigorous side impact standard. The new Corolla Cross does not earn the TSP+ due to its score on the new side impact test. 

Toyota’s Prius is among the quickest, best-looking, and most reliable vehicle in its class. The Prius is also the vehicle the least expensive to fuel in many parts of America. Now the Prius can also claim that no vehicle has a higher safety rating. 
 

Image of 2023 Toyota Prius by John Goreham.

John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can follow John on Twitter, and connect with him at Linkedin.