The Chrysler Pacifica is no longer the sole minivan to win the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS’) greatest honor, the Top Safety Pick+ designation, as the 2018 Honda Odyssey has also earned that desired award, in addition to a first-class overall safety score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The Odyssey achieved 5 star in NHTSA’s frontal crash tests for both driver and passenger, five stars in side crash tests for both front and rear seats and the pole test, and achieved 4 stars in rollover performance.
But making the Top Safety Pick+ designation is the larger achievement, as recipients need to provide forward accident prevention and excellent lighting in addition to acing the IIHS’ crash tests. The Odyssey scored “Good” rankings in all crashworthiness tests, consisting of the moderate front overlap, little front overlap, side, roof strength, and head restraint and seat evaluations. The Odyssey also made a “Superior” score in front crash prevention because of the Honda Sensing suite of advanced security features, which is basic on EX trims and above. Available LED headlights earned the minivan an “Acceptable” rating in the new-for-2017 headlight efficiency requirements, the minimum score had to be called a Top Safety Pick+.
The 2018 Honda Odyssey’s safety scores match those of the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, which also got a Top Safety Pick+ and five-star general score from NHTSA. Other minivans scored lower, however still carried out well total. The 2017 Kia Sedona was relegated to simply a Top Safety Pick due to its “Poor” headlight rating, but achieved a five-star general rating from NHTSA. The 2017 Toyota Sienna missed the Top Safety Pick mark by only making an “Acceptable” rating in the little front overlap test, but gets a total five-star NHTSA rating.
