Passenger Van Crashworthiness

Over the last 10 years, passenger vans have overshadowed the full-size station wagon as the family vehicle of choice. In 1997, passenger vans accounted for almost 10 percent of all new passenger vehicle purchases.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has evaluated the crashworthiness of 15 passenger vans, all current models. The test involves examining how a car performs in a 40-mph frontal crash and the results show big differences.

Only two passenger vans, the Toyota Sienna and the Ford Windstar, earn "good" overall evaluations, and both are designated "best picks."

Conversely, other vans – GM’s Pontiac Trans Sport, Oldsmobile’s Silhouette and Chevrolet’s Venture -- performed substantially worse than the other current models.