Toyota's 2012 Camry and Prius received the lowest crash test rating. Do you consider safety ratings when buying a new car? Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
After performing poorly in recent crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Toyota’s 2013 Camry and Prius V models both received the lowest safety ratings handed out by the organization. IIHS simulated severe front-end collisions, where a vehicle would crash into another car, tree, or pole. The two Toyota models were the only cars to be given a ‘poor’ rating in the IIHS’s mid-size family cars crash test.
The crash test results are seemingly the latest round of bad PR for Toyota. On Tuesday, Toyota was ordered to pay more than $17 million in fines for delaying a recall related to acceleration problems in their Lexus RX model. Toyota’s reputation as a reliable car at an affordable price could soon come into doubt after their recent quality issues.
Do you take safety tests into account when purchasing a car? How do you balance safety and affordability?
Jessica Caldwell, senior analyst at Edmunds.com