It’s not an easy task to evaluate a vehicle’s safety performance in a scientific and comprehensive way. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tests all kinds of vehicles and puts them through a battery of tests. They destroy a lot of cars and trucks in the name of safety testing.
It is good to see that the IIHS paid special attention to pickup trucks this time around. The Institute tested Crew cab and Extended cab versions of the four full-size half-ton pickup trucks: Chevy Silverado (same results as GMC Sierra), Ford F-150, Ram 1500, and Toyota Tundra. The new Nissan Titan was not tested because the 2017 light-duty Titan did not yet go on sale. It goes on sale later this year.
Overall Safety Rating
Only the 2016 Ford F-150 received the “Top Safety Pick” safety rating. Both the extended (Super Cab) and crew (Super Crew) cabs received the high rating. It’s noteworthy that this is not the highest rating a vehicle can receive from the IIHS. The “Top Safety Pick +” rating is the highest and requires an advanced front crash prevention system, such as adaptive cruise with full stop, lane keep assist, and others.
The findings for the trucks from GM, Ram, and Toyota revealed that not all trucks are created equal when crash worthiness and body strength are concerned. In fact, the Extended cab versions of these trucks performed better than their respective Crew cab versions.
See the info-graphics below for more detail.
Roof Strength Comparison
Roof strength is an important measurement of truck safety. Pickups are taller vehicles with a higher center of gravity and can be more prone to rollover accidents. If the truck is rolling onto its roof, you want to have as much strength in the cab construction as possible to prevent the roof from collapsing into the passenger compartment.
The results of this test are a mixed bag. While the Ford F-150 led the group in roof strength, the F-150 Crew cab was more rigid than its Extended cab version. While the Extended cabs in the Chevy, Toyota, and Ram stables had more strength than their Crew cab variants.
| Force Ratio | Roof Deflection | IIHS Rating | Curb Weight | |
| 2016 Ford F-150 Crew | 5.85 | 2.8 in | Good | 4,651 lbs |
| 2016 Ford F-150 Extended | 5.34 | 4.2 in | Good | 4,596 lbs |
| 2013 Chevrolet Silverado Extended | 4.71 | 2.8 in | Good | 5,093 lbs |
| 2016 Chevrolet Silverado Crew | 4.10 | 2.4 in | Good | 5,171 lbs |
| 2016 Toyota Tundra Extended | 4.48 | 5.0 in | Good | 5,142 lbs |
| 2016 Toyota Tundra Crew | 3.94 | 4.6 in | Acceptable | 5,432 lbs |
| 2016 Ram 1500 Extended | 3.17 | 3.3 in | Marginal | 5,120 lbs |
| 2016 Ram 1500 Crew | 2.97 | 2.2 in | Marginal | 5,186 lbs |
Here is the IIHS pickup truck safety evaluation summary.
