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Many SUV shoppers worry about the rollover risks that come with driving a tall vehicle. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has just released roof strength tests that are designed to measure how well vehicles protect their occupants in rollovers. The results may surprise you.

In a press release, IIHS writes, “In the first Insurance Institute for Highway Safety roof strength tests of midsize SUVs, 6 earn the top rating of good for rollover protection, 1 is acceptable, and 5 others earn the second lowest rating of marginal.”

IIHS tested 12 midsize SUVs, and their roof-strength rating system is more stringent than what the federal government requires. IIHS explains that in the test, “a metal plate is pushed against 1 corner of a roof at a constant speed. To earn a good rating, a roof must withstand a force of 4 times the vehicle’s weight before reaching 5 inches of crush. For an acceptable rating, the minimum strength-to-weight ratio that’s required is 3.25. A marginal rating value is 2.5, and anything lower than that is poor.”

Roof-strength is an important measure of vehicle safety, IIHS says, because almost 10,000 people are killed each year in rollovers. Those SUVs that earn Good scores in IIHS roof-strength tests have standard electronic stability control, and Good scores in all other IIHS crash tests earn the organization’s Top Safety Pick award.

Kicking Tires writes, “Although the Jeep Liberty and its Dodge Nitro twin had the best results for roof strength at five times the weight of the vehicle, they rated Acceptable and Marginal in rear and side crash tests, respectively,” and so didn’t get Top Safety Pick designations.

The SUVs that are top Safety Picks are:

• 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
• 2011 Kia Sorento
• 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
• 2010 Toyota Highlander
• 2010 Toyota Venza

Left Lane News reports, “Thanks to a poor performance in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s roof strength test, Honda is reportedly considering an early revamp and roof reinforcement for its Accord Crosstour wagon-like crossover.” The Crosstour had the worst performance in the IIHS roof-strength tests.

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