2016 Honda Civic, Hyundai Sonata Earn Top Safety Pick+ Award

ARLINGTON, Virginia – The 2016 Honda Civic compact sedan and 2016 Hyundai Sonata midsize sedan are among the latest vehicles to earn the 2016 Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Other new winners include the 2016 Nissan Altima midsize sedan and the 2016 Lexus RX 350 midsize SUV.

“The Civic, Sonata, RX and Altima all come with superior-rated optional front crash prevention systems,” the Institute said in a statement on Thursday.

Each of the four vehicles earned “good” ratings in all Institute crash tests.

The four are on sale now at dealerships.

The Institute noted that in the case of the Sonata, safety improvements were made after production for the 2016 model year had begun. The award only applies to Sonatas built after October.

The new crash-test ratings from the Institute are important to car shoppers, since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not yet rated the 2016 Honda Civic, Lexus RX 350 or the Nissan Altima. The 2016 Sonata earned the highest five-star safety rating from NHTSA.

All Civic sedan models come standard with vehicle stability assist with traction control, antilock brakes and a rearview camera.

Standard safety features on the carryover 2016 Sonata include antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability control and seven airbags, including a driver’s knee airbag.

The 2016 Altima is equipped with standard antilock brakes, vehicle dynamic control with traction control and six airbags.

The 2016 RX 350 comes with standard antilock brakes, traction control, vehicle stability control and nine airbags, including rear side airbags and a driver’s knee airbag.

Edmunds says: Some critical new safety information for car shoppers considering the 2016 Civic, Sonata, RX 350 and Altima.