cars news 10: 2016 Kia Optima Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Award

The redesigned 2016 Kia Optima joins the ranks of midsize cars that have earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick+ award. The new Optima benefits from sharing a platform with the Hyundai Sonata, which also earned top marks from the IIHS.

To earn the Top Safety Pick+ award, a vehicle not only has to earn “good” ratings in all tests, including the small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint tests, it needs to have an available front crash protection system and earn an advanced or superior rating.

The 2015 Kia Optima didn’t offer front crash prevention, which took it out of consideration for the top award. However, the new model offers it and was able to avoid collisions at both 12 mph and 25 mph. Last year, the Optima also only earned an “acceptable” rating on the small overlap test, which further hindered its performance.

Along with the 2016 Hyundai Sonata, the 2016 Kia Optima joins a number of other midsize sedans that have earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award for 2016, including the Chrysler 200, Honda Accord, Mazda6, Nissan Altima and Maxima, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Camry, and the Volkswagen Passat.

Source: IIHS