Pickup trucks aren’t exactly known for their safety ratings. Currently, there’s only one midsize pickup that meets the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) Top Safety Pick rating and that’s the Honda Ridgeline. The new, at least to the U.S., Ford Ranger barely missed out on the Top Safety Pick designation from the organization, as the truck’s headlights were found to be Marginal (the second-worst score possible.)
The Ranger did well in all of the IIHS’ crash tests, earning a score of Good, which is the highest possible, in five of the six tests. The only test where the Ranger didn’t earn a score of Good was in the small overlap front: passenger-side test that’s known to be difficult to pass. In that test, the Ranger earned a score of Acceptable. The IIHS found that in the passenger-side small overlap front test, the front passenger’s right leg could be at risk of an injury. With its crash scores, the Ranger met the requirements to be named a Top Safety Pick.
When it came to the Ranger’s front-crash prevention system, it earned a rating of Superior, the best score possible, with standard equipment. The Ranger comes with Ford Co-Pilot360 as standard, which includes pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking.
Where the Ranger falls short is with its headlights. All three of the pickup’s headlights earned a rating of Marginal. One score up would’ve netted the Ranger a Top Safety Pick award. In all four of the IIHS’ headlight tests, the Ranger’s units were found to inadequately light the road ahead on curves.
As far as midsize pickups go, the Honda Ridgeline is the leader, as the only truck in the segment to earn a Top Safety Pick rating. Other competitors, including the Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, and Nissan Frontier missed out on earning the IIHS’ Top Safety Pick award. The Tacoma, Colorado, and Canyon all have the same crash test scores as the Ranger, while the Frontier lags behind with two Marginal scores in the small overlap front tests.
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