IIHS Unveils New Whiplash Prevention Test That Simulates Driving Backwards at 30 MPH, Rear Head Restraints Remain Untested – Jalopnik

The Insurance Institute for Transportation Safety (IIHS) announced today that it is implementing a new crash test that evaluates the ability of the front seat head restraints to prevent common whiplash injuries in rear-end collisions. The IIHS has tested front head restraints for decades, but recently stopped evaluating the original head restraints because virtually all new vehicles performed well in them. In the new test, the IIHS actually conducts two separate tests, one at 20 mph, like the old whiplash prevention test, and the other at a new, higher speed of 30 mph.

The updated test is in response to findings that occupants of well-rated vehicles continued to suffer whiplash injuries in real-world crashes, based on insurance claim rates for different models. We’ve previously discussed some of the important things you need to know about your head restraint, but the IIHS also emphasizes that proper head restraint adjustment is an integral part of the head restraint system’s effectiveness in real-world crashes.

The IIHS also announced the results of the first implementation of its updated whiplash prevention test after evaluating 18 small SUVs. As a whole, the group performed relatively well: four models scored the highest rating of good, nine scored the second highest rating of acceptable, two received the second lowest rating of marginal, and three received the lowest rating of poor.

The top performers were the outgoing 2025 Audi Q3 and the outgoing 2025 Toyota RAV4, as well as the 2025 and 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Subaru Forester, all of which received the highest rating of Good. The majority of vehicles tested achieved acceptable ratings, including the 2025 and 2026 Buick Encore GX, Chevrolet Equinox, Jeep Compass, Kia Sportage, Mitsubishi Outlander, Volkswagen Taos and Volvo XC40. The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLB also earned an Acceptable rating, as did the 2024 and 2025 Honda CR-V.

The 2025 and 2026 Nissan Rogue scored a Marginal rating, as did the 2025 BMW Each of these models allowed for increased measurements in most of the categories evaluated, such as the tilt or bending force of the head relative to the neck, and subjectively they look quite painful in the video.

When asked in 2025 why the IIHS doesn’t actually conduct physical rear-end collisions, an IIHS spokesperson said that “serious rear-end collisions are relatively rare compared to lower-speed collisions. While these more serious crashes do occur, those that do result in fatalities often involve commercial vehicles and are of a severity that cannot be addressed by crash testing.” They also cited government regulatory requirements that ensure fuel system integrity, which “to some extent ensures that vehicle structures will hold up in a rear impact.”

The spokesperson also said that the IIHS is a nonprofit organization with limited resources, and therefore prefers to focus on the prevention of whiplash-type injuries, the most common types of injuries reported to insurance companies.

The IIHS is also forgoing testing of rear-seat head restraints for financial reasons, saying, “We could evaluate fewer vehicles overall if we expanded testing to other seating positions.” The IIHS also recently updated its moderate overlap front crash test and did so by evaluating rear-seat occupant protection in addition to front-seat occupant protection. If testing continues to expand, there’s at least an outside chance that rear-seat whiplash protection will also be tested at some point. While the spokesperson raised a good point, “there is always an occupant in the driver’s seat and so drawing attention to this position in as many models as possible will make the biggest difference.”