All About Japan Autos

In the market for a new small car? If safety is a top priority in your next purchase the Mitsubishi Lancer may be a good bet.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) just awarded the Lancer with its Top Safety Pick award. As the IIHS states, “The Lancer, a small car, is the first Mitsubishi to qualify for the top safety designation since the Institute implemented the new rollover test.”

“To earn the award, a vehicle must receive the top rating of Good in a front, side, rear and rollover crash tests,” explains Cars.com. “A vehicle also must have electronic stability control; this feature is standard on the Lancer.”

The IIHS recently changed their roof-strength standards. “As a result, many of the vehicles that had previously qualified as Top Safety Picks fell off the list in 2010,” says Car.com.

The new roof test “consists of a metal plate that pushes against one corner of a vehicle’s roof at a constant speed,” reports Edmunds. “The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle’s weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. Vehicles rated ‘good’ have roofs that can withstand a force equal to at least 4 times the vehicle’s weight. This is higher than the current federal standard of 1.5 times the weight.”

If you’re in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.