To qualify for a 2019 TOP SAFETY PICK award, a vehicle must earn good ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, as well as a good or acceptable rating in the passenger-side small overlap front test. It also needs an advanced or superior rating for vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention and a good or acceptable headlight rating.
The 2020 Equinox earns good ratings in all six IIHS crashworthiness evaluations.
The SUV’s standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system earns a superior rating. In Institute tests, it avoided a collision in the 12 mph test and reduced its impact speed by an average of 22 mph in the 25 mph. The Equinox earns an advanced rating for pedestrian front crash prevention, though that rating doesn’t factor into 2019 award criteria.
The 2020 Equinox comes standard with high-beam assist, a system that automatically switches between high beams and low beams, depending on the presence of other vehicles. Vehicles can earn extra credit in Institute headlight tests for having high-beam assist because research has shown that drivers don’t use high beams as often as they should. The safety feature helps the Equinox’s available HID projector headlights earn an acceptable rating. Its other two headlight options, including its base halogens and available LED projectors, both rate marginal.
