Is the 2021 Honda Odyssey safe? Expert reviewers believe so. It’s a Top Safety Pick+. What is a Top Safety Pick+, and is that + sign important?
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In this article, we look at why the experts Insurance Institute for Highway Safety bestowed its highest award on the 2021 Honda Odyssey.
What Does an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Mean?
To be awarded an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, a vehicle must score at least a good or higher in all IIHS crashworthy ratings. These include the driver-side small overlap front, the passenger-side small overlap front, and the moderate overlap front. In addition to these front crash tests, the vehicle must get a good or higher in the side crash tests, roof strength, and head restraint tests.
Additionally, the vehicle must have an advanced or superior in both the vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian tests. Headlights, often overlooked by car shoppers, must be good or acceptable on all trim levels. Usually, one trim level has good headlight ratings while another does not.
The 2021 Honda Odyssey Has Good Ratings in Overlap Crash Front Tests
The 2021 Honda Odyssey is rated well in the IIHS’ small overlap front: driver-side crash test. The IIHS does a small overlap front crash test on vehicles’ driver and passenger sides. The small overlap front: driverside test measures how well a car does when the front left corner of the vehicle hits something like a tree or another car.
The IIHS started doing small overlap front: driver-side crash tests when they discovered that the front corners of cars weren’t as safe as the crush zones. In response, car manufacturers began improving the safety of the driver’s side of the vehicle.
However, many car manufacturers didn’t carry these safety improvements to the car’s passenger side. The IIHS then implemented the small overlap front: passenger side test.
The 2021 Honda Odyssey also got an excellent overall score for the small overlap front: passenger-side test. It’s worth noting that the structure and safety cage only have an acceptable rating under this category. All other subcategories in the passenger side small overlap test are suitable.
Other Things that Make the 2021 Honda Odyssey a Top Safety Pick+?
The moderate overlap test ratings, as are the subcategories within the medium overlap category, are good. Side crash test ratings, as are the roof strength and seat restraints, are also all good.
The front crash prevention for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian are superior, which is the highest safety rating they can. Advanced safety features are essential for avoiding a crash. As more car manufacturers make these standards in their vehicles, it’s nice to see that they’re testing well.
The headlights in the 2021 Honda Odyssey are only acceptable on all trims. That’s a shame because having good headlights is essential, but it doesn’t preclude the Honda Odyssey from getting a Top Safety Pick+ award.
Overall, the 2021 Honda Odyssey is a solid choice for a minivan. Its excellent safety ratings are certainly a massive advantage to this best-selling van. Hopefully, in the future, the headlights will get better. Then the Odyssey might be perfect.
