Improved Road Safety with Enhanced Collision Avoidance at Increased Speeds
Automakers Improve Automatic Emergency Braking Systems in Response to IIHS Update
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has introduced a more rigorous front crash prevention evaluation, leading automakers to improve automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems. The updated evaluation tests AEB systems at higher speeds and introduces additional obstacles, including a motorcycle and a semitrailer.
In the updated test, 22 out of 30 latest vehicles evaluated earned either a "good" or "acceptable" rating. However, several models, including the 2025 Audi Q7, 2025 Audi Q8, 2024 Buick Envista, 2023-24 Chevrolet Tahoe, 2024 Chevrolet Trax, and 2024-25 Kia Seltos, performed poorly, receiving an "acceptable" rating at best.
Some vehicles rated "acceptable" failed to stop before impact in at least one motorcycle test, and none of them prevented a collision in the 43 mph motorcycle test. On the other hand, the 2025 Toyota Camry and 2025 Subaru Forester were among the vehicles that successfully stopped completely in all trials involving the motorcycle.
During testing, vehicles are evaluated on both their forward collision warnings and automatic braking capabilities. If a vehicle fails to significantly reduce its speed in lower-speed tests, only its forward warning system is assessed in the higher-speed trials. In the semitrailer test, the driver manually steers out of the lane to avoid a crash, and only the forward warning system is measured.
The 2025 Acura MDX has an "acceptable" rated optional system for its front crash prevention. The 2023-24 Ford Expedition received a "marginal" rating in the updated front crash prevention evaluation.
Automakers have improved AEB systems in response to the IIHS updated front crash prevention evaluation by making these systems more universal and consistent across brands. This improvement is partly due to a voluntary commitment by 20 automakers to enhance these technologies.
The IIHS raised the testing requirements, such as stricter moderate overlap front crash tests, leading to vehicles needing better-performing AEB systems to earn Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ ratings. For instance, to qualify for the 2025 Top Safety Pick+ award, vehicles must demonstrate acceptable or good ratings not only in crash tests but also in pedestrian front crash prevention, reflecting enhanced automatic braking performance in real-world conditions.
Thus, as a result of the IIHS evaluation update, automakers have refined AEB systems to perform well in tougher crash scenarios—with more consistent detection and intervention—helping increase the number of models that meet these higher safety standards.
[1] IIHS. (2023). Front Crash Prevention Evaluation [2] IIHS. (2023). Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick [3] IIHS. (2023). Top Safety Pick+ Criteria
- To meet the updated Top Safety Pick+ award criteria, automakers have refined their automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems to demonstrate acceptable or good ratings in both crash tests and pedestrian front crash prevention, reflecting enhanced automatic braking performance in real-world conditions.
- The IIHS evaluation update has called for automakers to improve their AEB systems, making these systems more universal and consistent across brands, as part of a voluntary commitment by 20 automakers to enhance these technologies, leading to better performance in tougher crash scenarios with more consistent detection and intervention.
