How Safe Is the 2026 Cadillac CT5?

What Car Shoppers Need to Know

• The 2026 Cadillac CT5 posted poor scores in both of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests it was subjected to.
• It also posted poor scores for its vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system and for its optional headlights.
• All of the competition did better, with most earning awards.

The Cadillac CT5 stands out as a mid-size luxury sedan that’s fun to drive, especially in its CT5-V Blackwing form. But now there’s a big reason to avoid it: The 2026 CT5 put up disastrous results in recent crash-testing performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Related: With the Acura TLX Being Discontinued, What Other Sports Sedans Should You Consider?

IIHS not only performs three crash tests, it also evaluates vehicles based on how well their headlights illuminate dark roads and how well their forward collision warning systems help the car avoid or mitigate crashes with both pedestrians and other vehicles. Each category is rated on a scale of good, acceptable, marginal or poor.

Vehicles can qualify for two awards, Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+. For the lesser Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must score good in all three crash tests and rate at least acceptable in the pedestrian avoidance and headlight tests. For Top Safety Pick+, a vehicle also needs a good score in the pedestrian avoidance test and an acceptable score in the vehicle-to-vehicle collision avoidance test.

The CT5 didn’t come close to earning either award, putting up poor scores in the two crash tests it was subjected to, poor for its base headlights and marginal for its upgrade headlights, and poor in the vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention test. Its acceptable score in the vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention test is the only score that could qualify for an award.

Note that in the table below, slash values indicate split results across different equipment and “NT” means it was not tested.

2026 Cadillac CT5 Crash-Test Scores

Crashworthiness

IIHS conducts both of its frontal crash tests at 40 mph. The small overlap test recreates the forces experienced when a vehicle leaves the road and hits a tree or pole. In the test, the subject vehicle runs into a rigid barrier that covers 25% of the front end’s width. The CT5 wasn’t subjected to this test.

The moderate overlap front test approximates a crash in which a vehicle crosses the road centerline and runs into an oncoming vehicle head-on. In this test, the subject vehicle hits a barrier that covers 40% of the width of its front end. The barrier has a deformable honeycomb facing that recreates the forces in a crash in which both vehicles are traveling just below 40 mph. In this test, a crash-test dummy is belted into the driver’s seat and another is belted behind the driver, the latter added in 2022. The CT5’s structure performed well in the test, and the driver fared well, but the rear dummy sustained what would be head/neck injuries, and that resulted in a poor score in this test.

The side-impact test recreates a T-bone collision in which a stationary subject vehicle is hit by a sled going 37 mph that sits at the approximate height of a modern SUV and carries the approximate weight of one, as well. Dummies are once again in the driver’s seat and behind that seat, and the vehicle is hit in the driver’s side. The CT5 earned a poor score here because the driver didn’t fare well, and neither did the vehicle structure.

Crash Avoidance and Mitigation

For the vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention rating, IIHS evaluates how quickly a vehicle detects and warns the driver of hazards. It also evaluates how much the vehicle slows to mitigate a collision or if it comes to a complete stop. The institute conducts these tests at multiple speeds, with the subject vehicle approaching three types of other vehicles: a car, motorcycle and semitrailer. The car and motorcycle tests are performed with the obstacle vehicle in the center of the lane and with it offset to the sides. The CT5 did poorly in the vehicle-to-vehicle test at one of those speeds, earning the poor rating.

The pedestrian front crash prevention evaluation is also conducted at several speeds and measures how well the subject vehicle can detect and avoid pedestrians in three situations: a child crossing the road during the day, an adult crossing at night and an adult walking in the direction of travel on the road’s shoulder at night. Based on how much the CT5 slowed down, it earned an acceptable rating.

Versus Competitors

Given the CT5 scored so poorly, it’s not surprising that the competition does better. The Audi A6 and Genesis G80 earned Top Safety Pick+ awards, and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class rated a Top Safety Pick. Only the BMW 5 Series didn’t earn an award, but it wasn’t subjected to all of the tests. Cadillac has its work to do to improve the safety of the CT5.

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