Congratulations: If you own a Toyota Prius V with the Advanced Technology Package, you own the only midsize vehicle in the USA equipped with “good” headlights, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
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Overall, the headlights on 11 cars (including Audi A3, Nissan Maxima, and Volvo S60 ) were rated “acceptable”, on nine cars (including Acura TLX, BMW 3 series, and Subaru Legacy) they were rated “marginal”, and on ten cars (including Buick Verano, Cadillac ATS, and Kia Optima) they were rated “poor”. For the first time, its researchers tested the illumination from more than 30 mid-size sedans, and just one vehicle earned the top rating.
Among the poorest performing cars, the BMW-3 series they were only able to light up to 128 feet ahead.
If one of your customers complain of visibility issues at nighttime, it is most likely not the windshield, it could be the headlights.
“The Institute is rating every possible headlight combination as it becomes available from dealers”, it said.
“The Prius v’s LED low beams should give a driver traveling straight at 70 mp/h (112 km/h) enough time to identify an obstacle on the right side of the road, where the light is best, and brake to a stop”, said Matthew Brumbelow, an IIHS senior research engineer. For example, halogen headlights for the standard four-door Honda Accord were “acceptable”, but the LED or halogen lights for two pricier Mercedes-Benz models were “poor”.
The image above shows distances at which the ideal headlight will illuminate an object with five lux. The fourth-generation hybrid has earned a “good” rating in the challenging small-overlap test, while an improved automatic emergency braking (AEB) system has received a “superior” assessment.
At the moment, there is no one measure by which headlights are deemed “safe”, and while the IIHS methodology is certainly promising, we can only hope it contributes to a final standard that all automakers and NHTSA can agree is sound.
The evaluation involved looking at both high beams and low beams on the test track at the research center. The W205 Mercedes-Benz C-Class with its Intelligent Light System?
“This reduces the amount of glare you create, but it also means poorer visibility for you”, he added.
The institute will do regular headlight testing from now on and is already testing SUVs and pickup trucks, the ratings for which will come out later this year.
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BMW said in a statement that the company was disappointed by the ratings, but remains confident that its headlight systems are “very effective” for a variety of differently priced models.
