The 2018 Chevrolet Colorado marked a significant model year for this mid-size pickup, especially in terms of safety enhancements. For those considering a 2018 Chevy Colorado, understanding its safety ratings is crucial. As an automotive repair expert at cardiagnosticnearme.com, I’ve delved into the official safety reports to provide you with a comprehensive breakdown of how this truck performs in various crash tests. This analysis is based on data from rigorous evaluations, offering insights to help you make an informed decision.
Decoding the 2018 Chevy Colorado Crash Test Performance
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) subjected the 2018 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab to a battery of crash tests, evaluating its performance in different frontal and side impact scenarios, as well as roof strength and headlight effectiveness. Let’s break down the results category by category to understand the strengths and weaknesses in the vehicle’s safety design.
Small Overlap Frontal Crash Test: Driver’s Side
The small overlap front test is particularly challenging as it focuses impact on a small portion of the vehicle’s front corner. For the 2018 Chevy Colorado, the driver-side small overlap test reveals a robust structure.
Action shot from the driver-side small overlap frontal crash test of a 2018 Chevy Colorado, demonstrating the vehicle’s structural integrity.
The 2018 Chevy Colorado earned a “Good” rating in the driver-side small overlap test, the highest rating possible. Key evaluation points include:
- Overall Rating: Good (G)
- Structure and Safety Cage: Acceptable (A) – Indicating good maintenance of the occupant compartment space.
- Driver Injury Measures: All “Good” ratings for head/neck, chest, hip/thigh, and lower leg/foot, signifying low risk of injury in these areas.
- Driver Restraints and Dummy Kinematics: Good (G) – Airbags and seatbelts effectively controlled the dummy’s movement, ensuring good protection.
These results indicate that the 2018 Chevy Colorado is designed to provide solid driver protection in a demanding frontal crash scenario. The technical measurements further support this, showing limited intrusion into the driver’s side occupant compartment.
Post-crash driver-side view inside a 2018 Chevy Colorado, showing the dummy’s position and maintained survival space within the vehicle structure.
The dummy’s position post-impact, as seen in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel, confirms that the survival space for the driver was well-maintained. This is critical for minimizing injuries in a real-world crash.
Deployment of frontal and side curtain airbags in a 2018 Chevy Colorado during a crash test, illustrating effective head protection measures.
The effectiveness of the airbags is evident in preventing the dummy’s head from contacting hard interior structures, a crucial aspect of occupant safety in the 2018 Chevy Colorado.
Driver-side footwell area of a 2018 Chevy Colorado after a small overlap crash, showing well-controlled intrusion and low risk of leg and foot injuries.
Minimal intrusion into the driver’s footwell area further contributes to the low risk of leg and foot injuries, rounding out a strong performance in the driver-side small overlap test for the 2018 Chevy Colorado.
Small Overlap Frontal Crash Test: Passenger-Side
While the driver-side performance is commendable, the passenger-side small overlap test for the 2018 Chevy Colorado reveals a different picture. It’s important to note that while structural improvements were made to the driver’s side starting in 2017, these were not extended to the passenger side.
Action shot from the passenger-side small overlap frontal crash test of a 2018 Chevy Colorado, highlighting the structural challenges on this side.
The 2018 Chevy Colorado receives a “Marginal” overall rating in the passenger-side small overlap test, a significant drop from the driver’s side. Key findings include:
- Overall Evaluation: Marginal (M)
- Structure and Safety Cage: Poor (P) – Indicating significant structural issues and compromised occupant space.
- Passenger Injury Measures: While head/neck, chest, and hip/thigh are rated “Good,” lower leg/foot is “Marginal,” suggesting a higher risk of lower leg injuries for the passenger.
- Passenger Restraints and Dummy Kinematics: Good (G) – Airbags performed well in head protection despite structural deficiencies.
The “Poor” rating for structure is a concern for the 2018 Chevy Colorado on the passenger side. This means in a similar real-world crash, the passenger might face a higher risk of injury compared to the driver.
Post-crash passenger-side view inside a 2018 Chevy Colorado, demonstrating the compromised survival space and dashboard intrusion.
The dummy’s position and the significant intrusion into the occupant compartment clearly show that the passenger’s survival space was not well maintained.
Airbag deployment on the passenger side of a 2018 Chevy Colorado during a crash, showing head protection but not mitigating structural issues.
Despite the airbags offering good head protection, they cannot fully compensate for the structural weaknesses observed on the passenger side of the 2018 Chevy Colorado.
Passenger-side footwell of a 2018 Chevy Colorado after a small overlap crash, revealing extensive intrusion and potential injury risks to the lower extremities.
The extensive intrusion in the dashboard and footwell area explains the increased risk of injury to the passenger’s lower leg and knees. This is a critical point to consider when evaluating the overall safety of a 2018 Chevy Colorado, especially if you frequently have passengers.
Moderate Overlap Frontal Test
In the moderate overlap frontal test, which simulates a head-on collision with another vehicle or object of similar size, the 2018 Chevy Colorado (tested as a 2015 GMC Canyon, structurally similar) performs well.
- Overall Evaluation: Good (G)
- Structure and Safety Cage: Good (G)
- Driver Injury Measures: All “Good” ratings for head/neck, chest, and leg/foot.
- Driver Restraints and Dummy Kinematics: Good (G)
These “Good” ratings across the board indicate that the 2018 Chevy Colorado offers robust protection in a moderate frontal collision, similar to the full-width frontal test but focusing on a more concentrated area of impact.
Side Impact Tests
The 2018 Chevy Colorado underwent both the original and updated side impact tests. In both scenarios, the vehicle achieved “Good” overall ratings.
Original Side Test:
Pre-crash setup for the original side impact test of a 2018 Chevy Colorado, showing the barrier about to impact the vehicle’s side.
Post-crash view of a 2018 Chevy Colorado after the original side impact test, with doors removed to show airbag deployment and occupant compartment damage.
Greasepaint markings on the driver dummy’s head in a 2018 Chevy Colorado side impact test, indicating effective head protection by the side curtain airbag.
Greasepaint on the rear passenger dummy’s head after a 2018 Chevy Colorado side impact test, showing successful head protection by the side airbag.
- Overall Evaluation: Good (G)
- Structure and Safety Cage: Good (G)
- Driver Injury Measures: All “Good” ratings for head/neck, torso, and pelvis/leg.
- Driver Head Protection: Good (G)
- Rear Passenger Injury Measures: All “Good” ratings for head/neck, torso, and pelvis/leg.
- Rear Passenger Head Protection: Good (G)
Updated Side Test:
Vehicle setup before the updated side impact test for a 2018 Chevy Colorado, demonstrating the more severe impact conditions.
Post-updated side impact test view of a 2018 Chevy Colorado, with doors removed to illustrate side airbag deployment and structural performance.
Driver dummy head greasepaint markings from the updated side impact test on a 2018 Chevy Colorado, confirming head protection from side airbags.
Rear passenger dummy head greasepaint in a 2018 Chevy Colorado after the updated side impact test, showing continued effective head protection.
- Overall Evaluation: Good (G)
- Structure and Safety Cage: Acceptable (A)
- Driver Injury Measures: “Good” for head/neck and torso, “Acceptable” for pelvis.
- Driver Head Protection: Good (G)
- Rear Passenger Injury Measures: All “Good” ratings for head/neck, torso, and pelvis.
- Rear Passenger Head Protection: Good (G)
The side impact tests demonstrate that the 2018 Chevy Colorado effectively protects occupants in side collisions, with both driver and rear passengers receiving good protection. While the updated test is more stringent, the Colorado still maintains a “Good” overall rating, showcasing its ability to manage side impacts effectively.
Roof Strength
The roof strength test evaluates the roof’s ability to withstand forces in a rollover crash. The 2018 Chevy Colorado achieves a “Good” rating.
- Overall Evaluation: Good (G)
- Strength-to-Weight Ratio: 5.16
A “Good” rating in roof strength provides reassurance that the 2018 Chevy Colorado‘s roof structure is robust and can offer good protection in rollover scenarios.
Head Restraints & Seats
Evaluating protection against whiplash in rear-end collisions, the 2018 Chevy Colorado‘s head restraints and seats also receive a “Good” rating.
- Overall Evaluation: Good (G)
- Dynamic Rating: Good (G)
- Seat/Head Restraint Geometry: Good (G)
This “Good” rating indicates that the 2018 Chevy Colorado is designed to minimize whiplash injuries in rear-impact crashes, a common type of accident.
Headlights
Headlight performance is a critical safety feature often overlooked. The 2018 Chevy Colorado‘s headlight ratings are disappointing. Both headlight variations available (for Z71/LT trims with Luxury package and Base/WT/LT trims) receive a “Poor” overall rating.
- Overall Rating: Poor (P) for both headlight types.
The poor headlight rating means that the 2018 Chevy Colorado‘s headlights provide inadequate illumination in various driving conditions, particularly on curves, and some configurations produce excessive glare. This is a significant safety concern as poor headlights can reduce visibility and increase the risk of nighttime accidents.
Front Crash Prevention: Vehicle-to-Vehicle
The 2018 Chevy Colorado offers an optional Forward Collision Alert system as part of the Safety Package. This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning, earning a “Basic” rating. However, automatic emergency braking (autobrake) is not available.
- Overall Evaluation: Basic (with optional equipment)
While the forward collision warning is a helpful feature, the lack of autobrake in the 2018 Chevy Colorado means it cannot automatically mitigate or prevent forward collisions, limiting its front crash prevention capabilities.
Child Seat Anchors (LATCH)
For families, child seat anchor usability is important. The 2018 Chevy Colorado receives a “Marginal” rating for its LATCH system.
- Overall Evaluation: Marginal (M)
The “Marginal” rating is due to issues with the lower anchors being too deep in the seats and tether anchors being hard to find and potentially confused with other hardware. This can make installing child seats more challenging in the 2018 Chevy Colorado.
Conclusion: Weighing the 2018 Chevy Colorado’s Safety Profile
The 2018 Chevy Colorado presents a mixed safety profile. It excels in driver-side small overlap, moderate overlap, side impact, roof strength, and head restraint tests, offering “Good” ratings in these critical areas. However, the “Marginal” passenger-side small overlap performance, “Poor” headlight ratings, and “Marginal” LATCH system are significant drawbacks.
For potential buyers of a 2018 Chevy Colorado, it’s essential to weigh these factors. The truck offers strong protection for the driver in most crash scenarios, but passenger-side safety and headlight performance are areas of concern. If passenger safety is a high priority, or if you frequently drive at night, these ratings should be carefully considered. Understanding these safety aspects will help you make a well-informed decision about whether the 2018 Chevy Colorado meets your safety needs.
