The 2018 Toyota C-HR, a new small SUV, earns good ratings in all six of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s crashworthiness tests and comes with standard superior-rated front crash prevention. However, a poor headlight rating keeps the model from earning a TOP SAFETY PICK or TOP SAFETY PICK+ award.
The C-HR earns good ratings in the driver- and passenger-side small overlap front tests, as well as in the moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests.
It earns a perfect score for its front crash prevention system. In IIHS track tests at 12 mph and 25 mph, the vehicle avoided collisions. It also has a forward collision warning component that meets National Highway Traffic Safety Administration criteria.
The C-HR’s halogen headlights fall short, providing inadequate visibility on curves but also producing excessive glare from the low beams. The SUV’s standard high-beam assist, which automatically switches between high beams and low beams depending on the presence of other vehicles, doesn’t help much, as the high beams provide little additional visibility over the low beams.
If Toyota offers improved headlights that earn an acceptable rating, the C-HR will qualify for a TOP SAFETY PICK award. With good-rated headlights, it would qualify for a TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating.
