The 20 Least Safe Cars of 2015

2. Fiat 500

The Fiat 500 earned a “poor” rating in the small overlap front test, leading to a low overall safety rating. Driver’s space was seriously compromised by intruding structure. Upper interior intrusion measured 19 cm at the upper hinge panel and instrument panel. Lower interior intrusion measured as much as 21 cm and the hinge pillar and 20 cm at the footrest. The steering column was pushed back 7 cm toward the driver. The driver door hinges were torn apart and the door opened at the front, which shouldn’t happen because the driver could be partly or completely ejected from the vehicle. The dummy’s head barely contacted the frontal airbag before sliding off the left side as the steering column moved 11 cm to the right, leaving the head vulnerable to contact with forward side structure. Measurements from the dummy indicated that injury to the lower leg was likely in a crash of this severity.