I am an old Corvette driver and sold my C3 many years ago. Currently I am looking to get back in and get a new C8. I am able to find almost everything possible about the C8 Corvette except for if this car has ever been crash tested. I know, I dread to even think about crashing one of these but every other car I buy has crash test star ratings on the window sticker, but I wasn’t able to find any on the C8. Has it ever been tested? Big investment, so I’d like to know.

 

All cars and trucks must be crash tested to be sold in US.

 

From consumer reports-

Most of the vehicles without ratings are low-volume models, sports cars, luxury vehicles, or large vans. The expense is too great for NHTSA and the IIHS to test all vehicles, so choices are made based on car sales volume and testing budgets. Some untested models are new or redesigned and merely waiting in line to be evaluated. About 97 percent of all new vehicles sold are crash-test rated by one or both of the independent organizations.

 

A three part answer: 1. As Sdk points out above, NHTSA and the IIHS are unlikely to test one.

2. GM had to crash test multiple cars in multiple scenarios, and certify that they meet Federal standards. However, Federal standards don't map to the IIHS grades, so we don't know if it barely passed or passed with the highest score.

3. There have been a number of very severe C8 crashes reported online, and when the occupants have been properly belted they've survived very serious accidents. In most of the photos we've seen the passenger cell has remained intact even when the front or rear of the car was basically gone. Anecdotally, the C8 looks very good in terms of crash safety.

 

I read this NHTSA page to say that the 2023 Corvette has not been crash tested. 2020-2022 all say the same.

 

Personally I don't need crash test results as mentioned by RMR above, I've seen a number of C8s that have been totally demolished, however passenger compartment remained in tach and occupants walked away.

 

Per Consumer Reports: "To be certified for sale, every new model sold in the U.S. must be crash-tested internally to ensure minimum federal safety standards are met. But a publicly available rating isn't required."

Also any C8 is technically a convertible which makes it exempt from NHTSA's current roof-crush resistance (but not crash) requirements.

Of the C8 crash aftermaths I've seen, most appeared to be head on with the driver losing control. In those situations, there's a decent chance they performed some panic maneuver that scrubbed off some speed. That reduces chances of the impact being fatal and doesn't confidently prove its structural integrity in a high speed crash. Would be more interesting to see how it holds up against T-bones from another car running a red light at full speed or a car coming from the opposite direction at full speed and not paying attention--basically crashes where speed isn't scrubbed.

There's this footage of the aftermath of a horrific crash by a drunk NFL player killing a woman and her dog with his C8. Very chilling and sad to see. It shows how the C8 held up but, again, hard to judge how well because I couldn't see whether he went head on, rear ended, or T-boned her. But at least the crumple zone worked because the front was obliterated while the cabin remained intact.

 

Anybody that thinks a Corvette is "safe" in a crash is just kidding themselves. Because our cars are lower to the ground than almost any other vehicle on the road, we are particularly vulnerable especially to side impacts. Other vehicles will go right over our sturdy frame rails and hit a relatively weak aluminum passenger compartment. All the more reason to be very vigilant and drive defensively.

 

Very sad incident but the driver of the C8 walked away from a frontal impact that destroyed his car. Safe is a relative word but I agree with some of the comments above about some serious accidents where the drivers walked away because they were wearing their seatbelts and the passenger compartment was still intact. I think the car is extremely well built and designed to withstand impacts. After all, it's a pig weight wise when you consider all the light weight material the car is constructed with.

 

I saw this on the forum last year and thought it was interesting, so I saved it:

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Beyond NHTSA the insurance industry wants to see the offset head on impact test as well. Typically these tests and test units are to be provided and completed by the selling company and declarations provided by the company to the government. As part of my job as EE I had to do similar tests for two way radio equipment to the FCC and Euro agencies. We destroyed a lot of equipment testing and re-engineering. I am guessing GM trashed quite a few mule cars to get acceptable crash results. I imagine many Erays built in April were used for this purpose. When you run these tests, the units must typically be line built and not protos. For us pilot build units were acceptable, and I imagine the April Eray builds were pilot builds. I also imagine unless there were major changes made year to year, the manufacturer could simply declare the earlier test findings as still valid.

 

I disagree....this is from my window sticker for my car that was built 8 days ago....

 

The C8 has to meet the same side impact standards as every other car, and has door beam inside the doors just like every other car. It's not the aluminum frame that stops side intrusions. Door beams have been around for a couple of decades.

 

Re-read the post you replied to and the sticker above.

The C8 was crash tested BY GM, as the law requires. The sticker says it wasn't crash tested by the GOVERNMENT. Last I checked GM wasn't the government.

 

Door beams? That's laughable. Feel how light the doors are. They might stop a bicycle but surely not a car. In fact all cars are weakest in side T bone accidents.

 

My concern will be most any vehicle that hits my C8 (should that sadly happen) will be taller and heavier than my car. When I first taught my son to drive I explained the left lane was only for passing, and the bigger vehicle theory-they always had the right of way to be safe.

 

How do you know how heavy, or light the doors are?

 

You can tell they are very light by just opening or closing them. It's called mass.

 

You really need to do some research into federal safety standards and requirements before you spout ignorant nonsense. There are federal standards that ALL cars have to meet.

And some research into physics.