2014 Fiat 500L: Stylish, Room For Five, Starts Below $20,000
Considering the Kia Soul, MINI Countryman, or Nissan Juke? You might want to hold out another few... Read More
- #2LEADERBOARD RANK
- 2662ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED
- 108COMMENTS POSTED
SAFETY | 4 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
'Acceptable,' frontal offset; 'poor,' side impact; ‘acceptable,’ rear impact; 'acceptable,' roof strength
IIHS
Not yet rated
NHTSA
Safety is especially critical in a lightweight small car, and here the news isn't particularly good; and it's fair to say the Accent is near the bottom of its class.
From the IIHS, frontal crash protection and roof strength are rated only 'acceptable,' while side impact protection is deemed 'poor.' The Accent hasn't yet been rated by the federal government in its tougher new testing and ratings system, but even in the old one the Accent earned unimpressive ratings, with just three and four stars for side impact.
All Accents come standard with front, side, and curtain airbags. Hyundai still skimps on anti-lock brakes; they're not even offered on the base GL model. Electronic stability control isn't available at all.
The one positive for the 2011 Accent in the safety department is that outward visibility is quite good.
Conclusion
Poor crash-test performance and the lack of some key safety features could be a deal-breaker for the safety-minded.
