When you Compare Specs On Cars, safety is paramount. A crucial metric to consider is the Overall Vehicle Score. This score, often represented as a star rating, is designed to give you a quick understanding of a vehicle’s safety performance in crashes. But how is this score calculated, and more importantly, how should you use it when comparing different vehicles?
The Overall Vehicle Score is not just a simple average. It’s a carefully calculated figure based on injury probabilities from frontal and side crash tests, along with projections from rollover resistance ratings. These probabilities are weighted to reflect the real-world frequency and severity of different crash types. The resulting score indicates whether a vehicle’s overall injury risk is higher or lower than the average risk across all vehicles.
Here’s a breakdown of what the star ratings mean when you compare specs on cars based on safety:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: Significantly less than average injury risk.
⭐⭐⭐⭐: Less than average to average injury risk.
⭐⭐⭐: Average to greater than average injury risk.
⭐⭐: Greater than average injury risk.
⭐: Significantly greater than average injury risk.
However, when you compare specs on cars using the Overall Vehicle Score, it’s vital to understand its limitations. Direct comparisons are only meaningful between vehicles in the same class and with similar weights. Specifically, you should only compare vehicles within a 250-pound weight range of each other.
For example, it’s misleading to compare the safety score of a 4,500-pound SUV to a 3,000-pound sedan. These vehicles are in different classes and have a significant weight difference. Similarly, comparing a 3,600-pound pickup truck to a 3,400-pound minivan isn’t valid due to different vehicle classes, even though they meet the weight criteria.
On the other hand, it is appropriate to compare the Overall Vehicle Scores of a 3,400-pound passenger car with a 3,650-pound passenger car. They belong to the same vehicle class and fall within the acceptable weight range.
Therefore, when you compare specs on cars and focus on safety ratings like the Overall Vehicle Score, remember to consider vehicle class and weight. Using these scores correctly will help you make informed decisions and choose a safer vehicle within your desired category.
