Volkswagen Captures First 2019 Top Safety Pick

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has recognized the 2019 Volkswagen GTI with its prestigious Top Safety Pick award when the car is equipped with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights.

The small car was put through the paces, earning a good rating in five challenging tests including the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. The GTI scored an acceptable rating in the passenger-side small overlap crash test — another key criterion for earning Top Safety status.

In addition, vehicles must garner an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention and a good or acceptable headlight rating in order to be credited with a Top Safety Award.

The GTI met the mark — featuring an available front crash prevention system that scored a superior rating. The small car avoided collisions in 12 mph and 25 mph IIHS track tests 

Finally, the GTI also met the IIHS measure for headlights, earning an acceptable headlight rating for the LED headlights that come with the SE, Rabbit Edition and Autobahn trims. However, the GTI's base halogen reflector headlights earn a poor rating because they provided inadequate visibility in multiple test scenarios.

The GTI is the first model from Volkswagen to earn a 2019 safety award.