When you’re reading Car And Driver Car Reviews, understanding safety ratings is crucial for making informed decisions. These ratings provide a standardized way to assess how well a vehicle protects its occupants in a crash. One of the most important metrics to consider is the Overall Vehicle Score.
What is the Overall Vehicle Score?
The Overall Vehicle Score is a comprehensive safety assessment represented by a star rating system. This score, typically ranging from one to five stars, summarizes the overall injury risk associated with a particular vehicle. A five-star rating signifies that a vehicle offers “much less than average” risk of injury in the event of a crash, making it one of the safest options in its class. Conversely, a one-star rating indicates a “much greater than average” injury risk.
Here’s a breakdown of what each star rating means:
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: Overall injury risk for this vehicle is much less than average
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐: Overall injury risk for this vehicle is less than average to average
- ⭐⭐⭐: Overall injury risk for this vehicle is average to greater than average
- ⭐⭐: Overall injury risk for this vehicle is greater than average
- ⭐: Overall injury risk for this vehicle is much greater than average
How is the Overall Vehicle Score Calculated?
The calculation of the Overall Vehicle Score is based on rigorous crash testing and statistical analysis. It takes into account the probabilities of injury determined from frontal and side crash tests, as well as a projected probability of injury from rollover resistance evaluations. These probabilities are weighted to reflect the real-world frequency and severity of different crash types. By combining these factors, the Overall Vehicle Score provides a holistic view of a vehicle’s safety performance. This score is then compared to the average injury risk across all vehicles to determine if a specific model performs better or worse than the norm.
Comparing Vehicle Scores: Class and Weight Considerations
It’s important to understand that Overall Vehicle Scores are most meaningful when comparing vehicles within similar classes and weight ranges. Direct comparisons between vastly different vehicles can be misleading. Specifically, you should only compare the Overall Vehicle Scores of vehicles that are in the same class and have a weight difference of no more than 250 pounds.
To illustrate this, consider these examples:
- Incorrect Comparison: Comparing a 4,500-pound SUV to a 3,000-pound sedan. These vehicles are in different classes and exceed the weight difference limit, making a direct safety score comparison invalid.
- Incorrect Comparison: Comparing a 3,600-pound pickup truck to a 3,400-pound minivan. While they meet the weight requirement, they belong to different vehicle classes, so their safety scores shouldn’t be directly compared.
- Correct Comparison: Comparing a 3,400-pound passenger car to a 3,650-pound passenger car. These vehicles are in the same class (passenger cars) and fall within the acceptable weight range for comparison.
When you delve into car and driver car reviews, always pay attention to these Overall Vehicle Scores and how they relate to vehicles in the same class and similar weight. Understanding these nuances will help you interpret safety information accurately and choose a vehicle that best meets your safety needs.
