The Tool Desk
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What crash-test ratings can—and cannot—tell you
Two U.S. systems offer complementary information: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 5-Star Safety Ratings and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) vehicle ratings. NHTSA covers frontal and side crash protection, rollover resistance, and crash-avoidance performance. IIHS evaluates crashworthiness and crash avoidance or mitigation. Their methods and results are not interchangeable, so consult both rather than treating one score as a complete safety verdict.
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Start with the exact model year and vehicle configuration. A rating may not apply unchanged to every year or trim, and neither system certifies an individual used car’s current condition.
How to read NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings
NHTSA uses a five-star scale, with five stars the highest rating and one star the lowest. Its overall score combines probabilities of injury associated with frontal and side ratings with projected rollover risk. Check the component results as well as the overall score on NHTSA’s ratings page.
#1 Best Overall
- Crash-Tested Safety & Comfort: The Kurgo Enhanced Strength Tru-Fit Dog Car Harness offers a crash test-certified fit with all-steel buckles
- Fit for Walks & Travel: Designed as a daily use harness fit, it features five points of adjustment and a padded chest plate for secure comfort during rides or walks
- Durable & Travel Ready: Built with an enhanced strength build, includes a 10-inch seatbelt tether with steel carabiner, making it an ideal pet travel safety harness
- Designed for Real-World Adventures: Kurgo gear is built to solve everyday challenges with dogs, making travel, walks, and outdoor play safer, easier, and more fun for both of you
- Durable Gear, Lifetime Promise: Engineered for longevity and reliability, every Kurgo product is crafted with rugged materials and backed by our industry-leading lifetime warranty
Compare frontal and overall ratings within limits
NHTSA says frontal crash ratings and overall scores are comparable only for vehicles in the same class whose weights are within 250 pounds of one another. This reflects the way the frontal and overall ratings model a crash between similar-weight vehicles. Do not use a single overall score to rank a small, light car against a much heavier SUV. NHTSA says side-crash and rollover ratings may be compared across vehicle classes.
Read markers and missing results carefully
A safety concern marker can appear even when a vehicle has a high overall score: NHTSA says the concern is not included in the overall-score calculation. Also, “Not Rated” means the vehicle has not been tested in that crash condition; it is not a poor test result. Treat an untested area as missing information, not evidence of either good or bad performance.
Rank #2
- Protects vehicle seats: Helps shield fabric or leather upholstery from dirt, spills, crumbs, and compression marks under baby car seats and toddler booster seats
- Easy clean Grime Guard fabric: Durable surface wipes clean to help manage everyday family messes in cars, SUVs, trucks, and vans
- Spill and crumb catcher: Built-in lower catch panel helps keep cookies, crackers, juice, and small messes from reaching your floor
- Extra tall back panel: Covers the seat base and seatback for added coverage during rear facing car seat use
- Rear kick protection: Integrated kick mat helps protect the back of your seat from toddler shoes, scuffs, and dirt
How to use IIHS ratings
IIHS separates crashworthiness—how well a vehicle protects occupants in a crash—from crash avoidance and mitigation, which covers technology intended to prevent a crash or reduce its severity. Look up the vehicle and year in the IIHS vehicle ratings portal, then review the component results and the configurations to which they apply.
IIHS does not test every model every year. If a model has not changed, IIHS may carry forward a prior model’s rating. Check whether the result is for the year you are shopping for and whether relevant structural or safety-equipment changes affect its applicability. IIHS explains its testing and rating approach in its overview of tests.
Rank #3
- CRASH-TESTED VEHICLE SAFETY HARNESS – Conforms to USA (FMVSS 213) safety standards, providing reliable protection during sudden stops or accidents.
- ENGINEERED FOR DURABILITY – Built to last with only the strongest and highest-quality materials including aluminum alloy Tri-Glides, genuine vehicle-tested seat belt webbing, and Crosslink Technology that ensure the harness is second to none in strength.
- EFFORTLESS & QUICK TO USE – After the initial fit, your dog seat belt harness can be put on and taken off quickly using the Dual SR Buckle Closure System and includes dual D-ring leash attachment points for the walk to and from your car.
- UNIVERSAL SEAT BELT COMPATIBILITY – Designed to work seamlessly with your car's existing seat belt system for hassle-free installation. Simply feed the seat belt through both webbing handles on the top of your dog car harness, click the buckle into your car's seat belt, and you're ready for a drive.
- COMFORTABLE CUSTOM FIT – Features an ergonomic chest plate with padding for comfort. The chest plate is contoured to mold to the shape of your dog for a custom fit.
Compare protection, prevention, and the actual equipment
Keep crash protection and crash prevention distinct when weighing candidates. For protection, examine the available frontal and side crash results and the separate rollover result. For prevention, compare tested crash-avoidance systems and verify that the vehicle you are considering actually has them.
NHTSA lists forward collision warning, lane departure warning, crash imminent braking, and dynamic brake support among technologies that have met its performance tests or recommendation criteria. These listings do not mean every inexpensive car—or every trim of a given model—includes those systems. Check the specific model year and trim using the vehicle’s documentation or equipment list. NHTSA’s NCAP resources explain its program.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Crash-Tested Safety & Comfort: The Kurgo Enhanced Strength Tru-Fit Dog Car Harness offers a crash test-certified fit with all-steel buckles
- Fit for Walks & Travel: Designed as a daily use harness fit, it features five points of adjustment and a padded chest plate for secure comfort during rides or walks
- Durable & Travel Ready: Built with an enhanced strength build, includes a 10-inch seatbelt tether with steel carabiner, making it an ideal pet travel safety harness
- Designed for Real-World Adventures: Kurgo gear is built to solve everyday challenges with dogs, making travel, walks, and outdoor play safer, easier, and more fun for both of you
- Durable Gear, Lifetime Promise: Engineered for longevity and reliability, every Kurgo product is crafted with rugged materials and backed by our industry-leading lifetime warranty
Rank #4
- Crash-Tested Safety & Comfort: The Kurgo Enhanced Strength Tru-Fit Dog Car Harness offers a crash test-certified fit with all-steel buckles
- Fit for Walks & Travel: Designed as a daily use harness fit, it features five points of adjustment and a padded chest plate for secure comfort during rides or walks
- Durable & Travel Ready: Built with an enhanced strength build, includes a 10-inch seatbelt tether with steel carabiner, making it an ideal pet travel safety harness
- Designed for Real-World Adventures: Kurgo gear is built to solve everyday challenges with dogs, making travel, walks, and outdoor play safer, easier, and more fun for both of you
- Durable Gear, Lifetime Promise: Engineered for longevity and reliability, every Kurgo product is crafted with rugged materials and backed by our industry-leading lifetime warranty
A practical way to compare cars before buying
- Record each candidate precisely. Note the make, model, model year, body style, and trim. These details help you avoid applying a result or feature list from a different configuration.
- Look up both rating systems. Search the model year in NHTSA’s ratings resource and the IIHS ratings portal.
- Compare NHTSA results on the right basis. Use the same-class and within-250-pound rule for frontal ratings and overall scores. Review side and rollover results separately.
- Inspect IIHS components and coverage. Review crashworthiness and crash-avoidance or mitigation results. Note tests that were not performed and whether a rating was carried over from an earlier model year.
- Verify equipment on the specific car. Confirm which occupant-protection and driver-assistance features are fitted to its model year and trim. Do not infer equipment from the model name or an advertisement for another year.
- For a used car, check its individual record and condition. Use NHTSA to check recalls and whether necessary repairs have been completed, as advised in the IIHS used-car shopping guide. Assess the car’s condition separately: model-level crash tests cannot tell you how that particular vehicle has been maintained or repaired.
What to prioritize when two cars have similar prices
- Like-for-like context: Compare the same model year where possible, and account for class and weight when interpreting NHTSA frontal and overall results.
- Specific crash results: Look past the headline score to the underlying frontal, side, and rollover findings.
- Test coverage: Distinguish an unfavorable result from a test that was not performed or a rating carried forward from a previous year.
- Verified features: Compare the safety systems actually fitted to each candidate, not features associated with the model name generally.
- Used-car status: Check recalls, repairs, and the individual vehicle’s condition in addition to model ratings.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
