Lincoln Lands on IIHS List of Safe Vehicles for Teens
Photo: Lincoln
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its updated list of the best safe vehicles for teens. A pair of Lincoln vehicles found their way onto the list, proving that it’s never too early to start your kid off with a bit of luxury.
Still Going Strong: The Lincoln MKZ enters its final year with all the style and tech you could want
The list, updated on July 30, features the 2016 and newer Lincoln MKZ as one of the safest midsize cars and the 2017-18 Lincoln MKZ as one of the safest midsize SUVs. An additional list of good choices for teens also includes the 2011-12 Lincoln MKZ.
IIHS pooled resources with Consumer Reports to create its list of best and good choices for teens. The list has been around since 2014.
“Now our organizations have joined forces to recommend safe, reliable and affordable used vehicles,” IIHS writes. “Our goal is to make it even easier for young drivers or their parents to find a vehicle that checks all the boxes for safety, performance, and reliability.”
What makes safe vehicles for teens
The criteria for a vehicle to earn a spot among the best choices indeed checks those boxes. Safe vehicles for teens qualify by earning “Good” ratings in IIHS’ moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint crash tests and a “Good” or “Acceptable” score in driver-side small overlap front. Vehicles tested in the New Car Assessment Program must earn at least 4 stars overall or in front and side tests from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Consumer Reports’ contribution includes reliability scores, which must be above average. CR also factors in emergency handling scores — which must be at least three out of five — and a 145-foot-or-less dry braking distance.
For a vehicle to rank as a good choice, it must meet all qualifications excluding the driver-side small overlap front crash test.
Newer Lincoln vehicles also rank well in IIHS crash testing. The 2020 Lincoln Corsair earned the 2019 and 2020 Top Safety Pick, and the Lincoln Continental has earned the Top Safety Pick+ from 2017-19.
Award-Winning Lincolns: New Lincoln Corsair earns plaudits for safety, luxurious interior
Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.