Safety is a probably one of most important things to consider when buying a vehicle, that is why crash tests play a very significant role in determining if these vehicles exceeds or fails safety hazards. In the recent crash tests regulated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the US, a good number of compact SUVs received high scores.

Most notably the latest Mitsubishi Outlander and Volkswagen Tiguan both scored good ratings in the front, side and rear-impact tests, as did the Nissan Rogue, Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute. The Honda CR-V, Honda Element and Subaru Forester have also received high marks in earlier crash tests.

According to Adrian Lund, the Institute’s president, the Outlander and the Tiguan were equipped with standard electronic stability control — which guards against rollovers — and side air bags.

The safety equipment helped the vehicles show improvements across the board, including in the side tests.

Lund added, “This is a huge change from just five years ago when most small SUVs were rated either marginal or poor in our side test, and standard side air bags and electronic stability control were rare.”

However, there were also a number of compact SUVs that didn’t achieve impressive results. These were the Jeep Patriot, Jeep Wrangler, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent who only had acceptable ratings.

This could a basis for future car buyers especially the Autopartswarehouse fans who put safety and security first in choosing their own dream ride.