In March 2024 the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety issued its first ratings of the safeguards meant to keep drivers attentive while partial-automation systems steer and brake. Most of the systems tested fell short of the top grades. Here are eight vehicles whose systems earned a poor rating, each with the model years the institute tested.
Read next on Morning Overview: Arizona’s governor declared a statewide emergency after Flagstaff logged its wettest Nov. 1 on record
1. Volvo S90: Pilot Assist Falls Short
The Pilot Assist system on the 2022-24 Volvo S90 earned a poor rating from IIHS for its safeguards against driver misuse, according to the institute’s partial-automation safeguard ratings. The grade was part of the first-ever ratings of this kind, published in March 2024.
The rating judges how well the system keeps the driver engaged, not how well the car steers or brakes. Owners of the tested model years should treat Pilot Assist as an aid that still requires full attention on the road. The Volvo’s inclusion shows that safeguard weaknesses were not limited to any one price tier or country of origin.
2. Genesis G90: Two Systems, Two Poor Grades
Both partial-automation systems offered on the 2023-24 Genesis G90, Highway Driving Assist 2 and Smart Cruise Control with Lane Following Assist, earned an overall poor safeguard rating, per the IIHS ratings table.
Having two systems and a poor grade on each means the luxury sedan offers no better-rated option in the tested years. The rating covers the 2023-24 model years only, so later changes would need a new evaluation. Prospective buyers of a used G90 from those years should read the grade as a caution about relying on either system without constant supervision.
3. BMW X1: Luxury Crossover Misses
IIHS gave BMW Active Driving Assistant Pro on the 2023-24 BMW X1 a poor overall safeguard rating, as shown in its safeguard rating listings. It came in the first partial-automation ratings, released in March 2024.
The grade speaks to how the system guards against misuse, such as drivers disengaging from the task. Owners of the tested model years should read it as a reminder that hands-on, eyes-on supervision remains the driver’s job. The rating also applies to a specific system name, so a different driver-assist package on another BMW would be judged separately.
4. Ford Mustang Mach-E: Hands-Free Disappoints
The Ford Mustang Mach-E was named among the poor performers when IIHS released its first partial-automation ratings in March 2024, in the institute’s ratings announcement. Its BlueCruise and Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go and Lane Centering Assist systems both fell short on safeguards.
BlueCruise is a hands-free highway system, which makes the low mark noteworthy for a feature marketed on convenience. The result applies to the vehicle as tested in the first ratings round. Ford’s second system, the adaptive cruise setup with lane centering, fell short as well, so neither Mach-E option escaped criticism.
5. Mercedes-Benz C-Class: Compact Luxury Sedan
The 2022-23 Mercedes-Benz C-Class and its Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC with Active Steering Assist were listed by IIHS among the systems earning a poor rating for safeguards, in the March 2024 first-ratings news release.
The compact luxury sedan sits in a group that includes the Mach-E, G90, Model 3 and S90 in the same announcement. Owners of the 2022-23 models should confirm how newer updates may differ, since the rating covers those years. The C-Class result illustrates that a premium badge did not guarantee better safeguards in this first round of ratings.
6. Lexus LS: One Good Option, One Poor
The Lexus LS offers two systems, and only one of them did well: Teammate earned the only acceptable rating, while the alternative Dynamic Radar Cruise Control with Lane Tracing Assist earned a poor rating, IIHS said in its announcement of the ratings.
The split shows that the same vehicle can carry very different safeguards depending on the option chosen. Buyers who want the better-rated approach would need to select Teammate, the only acceptable-rated system in the first round. Among 14 systems tested, that makes the Lexus option the rare standout within an otherwise poor-leaning field.
7. Tesla Model 3: Autopilot in the Majority
IIHS rated Tesla Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Beta) on the 2021-23 Model 3 poor, and WTOP’s report noted that 11 of the 14 systems tested earned a poor rating. Lexus’s Teammate with Advanced Drive was the only one rated acceptable.
The Model 3 is therefore one of a large majority, not an outlier. Owners of the 2021-23 cars should note the rating concerns safeguards against misuse, while the driver remains responsible for the vehicle at all times. The Model 3 entry covers 2021-23 cars, and the system names are Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Beta), which the institute graded together.
8. Nissan Ariya: Marginal at Best
Nissan’s ProPILOT Assist 2.0 on the Ariya was one of the hands-free highway systems IIHS rated poor, while its other ProPILOT system earned only marginal, according to WTOP’s coverage. The institute’s ratings were its first of this type.
WTOP grouped the Nissan with a similar hands-free system from Ford as the weakest performers. Buyers comparing electric crossovers should recognize that even the better-rated Nissan option earned just a marginal grade. The Ariya, like the LS, offers an alternative system, so the specific option chosen determines the result, and a buyer comparing trims should ask which system is fitted.
More from Morning Overview
- A handful of car transmissions are so tough that mechanics say they almost never die
- Melting permafrost is setting off a newly identified kind of catastrophic landslide, scientists say
- Cadillac cut the price of its cheapest EV, which goes up to 317 miles on a charge
- Winter weather advisories cover I-80, I-70 and the Bighorns with up to 15 inches of snow
