2011 Chevrolet Volt Gets Five-Star NHTSA Rating

The Volt’s overall composite score is composed of a four-star frontal, five-star rollover and a five-star rating for the combined side pole and barrier tests. The side barrier test is an area where other vehicles have shown weakness with the safety agency’s new testing format. The side pole test simulates a 20-mph side-impact crash into a 10-inch-diameter pole or tree at a 75-degree angle just behind the A-pillar on the driver’s side (shown above).

The Volt was also recently tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which designated the plug-in hybrid a Top Safety Pick, the institute’s highest rating.

NHTSA said in late April that it was in the process of testing the Volt and Nissan Leaf. As of that writing, the agency had the prerequisite Volt test vehicles but had yet to receive any Leafs.