2022 Toyota Corolla earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating

Both variants of the 2022 Toyota Corolla have earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick+ rating. The company's hot-selling small car was already on the Top Safety Pick list, and headlight revisions made in November 2021 gave it the coveted +.

Qualifying for a Top Safety Pick+ award is easier said than done: eligible models need to earn a "good" rating in six crashworthiness tests, and they have to be available with a front crash prevention system awarded an "advanced" or "superior" rating in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian tests. And, "good" or "acceptable" headlights need to be standard across the entire range, regardless of trim level.

The last point is where the Corolla previously failed: the headlights fitted to some trim levels were considered "marginal" by the IIHS. Toyota improved the most basic of the two headlight systems offered on the Corolla and rolled out the update in November 2021. Hatchback and sedan models now come standard with "acceptable" headlights, which is good enough for a Top Safety Pick+ award.

Several small cars have already earned a Top Safety Pick+ award. The list includes the 2022 Honda Civic sedan and hatchback, the 2022 Honda Insight, the 2022 Mazda3 (in fact, the entire Mazda range is part of this group), and the 2022 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid.