Kia Optima Earns Top Safety Pick Plus Rating

The Optima midsize sedan has long been a sales success for Kia in the US.

And now, the all-new 2016 version of the vehicle has been given a Top Safety Pick Plus rating, the best you can get from the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety – IIHS!

The rating is based on 5 individual Optima crash tests, as well as for the inclusion of active safety technology that helps with crash prevention.

It was ‘good’ scores all around for the Kia Optima, and superior safety ratings for the front crash prevention system.

This is not an easy rating to be given, as the tests put forth by the IIHS are as stringent as it gets.

This goes a long way towards showing just how much emphasis the Kia engineers place on safety when designing vehicles.

The IIHS are all about making sure that vehicles meet their very high standards, so to be given the top safety rating is something that Kia really has to feel good about.

It’s also something that will once again boost the Kia brand.

The Top Safety Pick Plus safety rating is only given when a vehicle can achieve ‘good’ ratings on the 5 crash tests, which are small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side impact, roof strength, and head restraints.

It also has to receive a Superior rating in front crash prevention.

2016 Kia Optima crash test video

Note: the video here showcases latest EuroNCAP crash test where Kia Optima received a maximum 5-star safety rating.

The IIHS’ Optima crash test videos have yet to be published on Youtube (to be updated)!

Optima safety features

The list of active safety features on the 2016 Optima is indeed impressive, and includes Blind Spot Detection with Lane Change Assist, Advanced Smart Cruise Control, Autonomous Emergency Braking, and a Lane Departure Warning System.

The aforementioned emergency braking system is designed to bring the vehicle to a complete stop when the system detects that a collision is imminent.