Pickup trucks generally have a reputation for safety by virtue of their size and mass. While they may fare better in a crash than a subcompact, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has identified one area where pickups are generally much worse than their passenger-car equivalents. The IIHS tested 11 different pickup models with 23 different headlight configurations, and the majority of them were deemed “poor” by the organization. The only model tested to receive a “Good” rating was the 2017 Honda Ridgeline equipped with the optional LED low beams. The other models with conventional halogen projector-type low beams received a “Poor” rating.

The GMC Sierra equipped with the optional LED low and high beams received an “Acceptable” rating with the available automatic high-beam function. The all-LED lights without the auto high-beam feature received a “Marginal” rating. The 2017 Nissan Titan and 2016 Ram 1500 both received overall ratings of “Marginal” while the rest of the models tested, including the Ford F-150 with all-LED lights, received “Poor” ratings. Among midsize models (or “Small” as the IIHS categorizes them), all received an overall “Poor” rating, including the Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Chevrolet Colorado, and GMC Canyon.

The headlight rating on these trucks will impact the truck’s overall IIHS safety rating, as the organization is incorporating headlight performance into its Top Safety Pick+ rating system. What do you think of your late-model pickups headlights? Do you think they’re as poor as the IIHS says they are?

Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety