Both NHTSA and IIHS, American equivalent of EuroNCAP, awarded the new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco with top safety ratings. The mid-size sedan scored a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a 2012 Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. So yes, the car is pretty darn safe.

For its Top Safety Pick award the Malibu achieved a “good” score in all four types of tests including front and side crash tests, rollovers via a roof strength test, and simulated rear impacts. The NHTSA also did the same sort of tests bu in different ways, and gave the car maximum number of stars possible, even though it didn’t so well in the rollover test and gained only 4 stars.

This double honor is definitely something for Chevy to boast, and a huge selling point for the Malibu. this car is going to be bought mostly by families, and they usually give safety high priority.

2013 Malibu’s top safety features:

·         A body structure made up of 65 percent high strength and ultra-high strength steels

·         Driver and front passenger dual-stage frontal air bags, seat-mounted side air bags and knee air bags and head curtain side air bags with rollover protection that cover front and outboard rear-seating rows

·         Rollover sensors which can activate the head curtain side air bags if sensors determine an imminent rollover. In a rollover, the air bags stay inflated longer to provide increased occupant protection

·         StabiliTrak electronic stability control helps the driver maintain control by comparing the path being steered by the driver with the actual response and, when necessary, applying the brakes or adjusting the throttle or a combination of both

·         Four-channel disc brakes with ABS, full-function traction control and panic brake assist that activates when an emergency braking maneuver is detected. The system automatically develops additional brake pressure to more quickly engage ABS

·         Front safety belt pretensioners to reduce forward movement and load-limiting retractors to help manage forces during a collision

·         OnStar, which features the Automatic Crash Response System that uses GPS and cellular phone technology to automatically call for help in a crash that deploys the air bags.