2011 Honda Civic Gets 2 Stars in NHTSA Side Crash Test

Here’s how the overall score breaks down: The Civic received four stars for the frontal crash test, two stars in the side crash test and four stars for rollover risk.

NHTSA’s new testing parameters include a “pole test,” which simulates a 20-mph side-impact crash into a 10-inch pole or tree at a 75-degree angle just behind the A-pillar on the driver’s side. The Civic did well in this test, receiving a five-star rating. It’s in the side crash test where the car lost out. While the female crash-test dummy in the passenger seat received a four-star rating in the crash-test results, the male crash-test dummy in the driver’s seat received only a two-star rating. That’s in stark contrast to the overall four-star rating that front passengers received in the side-barrier crash test in 2010 before the crash-test program was revised. To learn more about NHTSA’s five-star safety ratings, click here.

Many small cars haven’t fared well under NHTSA’s new guidelines: the Nissan Versa received an overall rating of two stars and the Honda CR-Z earned three stars.

A brand-new 2012 Honda Civic will be unveiled at the 2011 Detroit auto show and goes on sale this spring. That model is yet untested.