Since originally posting about my new 2008 Toyota Yaris, I have found that a number of people have found the blog with the pre-misconception that the Yaris is a dangerous car.  The fact is that even though it is a very small car, the 2008 Yaris has been receiving good safety reviews, and I have been hard pressed to find a poor one.  In fact the IIHS gave the car their highest rating of Good in every aspect, except for head/neck where it received the second highest Acceptable rating.  On a five star scale, the frontal impact tests seem to yield a consistent four stars by most tests (although there are some 5 star ratings out there).  As for side impact, it is highly recommended to spend the extra money for the side airbags which give the car an average side impact rating.

Yaris Crash Test Video

Perhaps comparing the Yaris with the Jiangling Landwin, an SUV that EuroNCAP called the most dangerous car they have seen in over 20 years, is a tad unfair.  However, putting the SUV crash test video below up against the Yaris crash test video might be some strong propaganda in the fight against global warming.  The tag line might be something like “Payback’s a B*tch, Go Green, Go Safe”.

Landwin Crash Test Video