Safety

An unsafe minivan is about as useful as a surfboard in Topeka. These vehicles are designed to transport families, and nothing is more important than the safety of your spouse, your children, your relatives, or your friends. Therefore, it’s no surprise that any of these four minivans is likely to protect loved ones in the event of a crash with a vehicle of similar size and weight.

But what about other features that help to promote safety, items like OnStar concierge service, sonar parking assist, run-flat tires, and rear back-up cameras? Here’s a handy chart to help you see which vans include the latest safety technology as standard or optional equipment, and which vans don’t offer these features at all. Data is based on a comparison of base trim levels with no options, not the vans as they were tested.

	Dodge	Honda	Pontiac	Toyota
Adjustable Pedals	Optional	Optional	N/A	N/A
Airbag Deployment Notification	N/A	N/A	Standard	N/A
Airbags, Side-Curtain	Optional	Standard	N/A	Optional
Airbags, Side-Impact	N/A	Standard	Optional	Optional
All-Wheel Drive	N/A	N/A	Optional	Optional
Backup Camera	N/A	Optional	N/A	Optional
Brake Assist	N/A	Standard	N/A	Standard
Conversation Mirror	N/A	Optional	N/A	Standard
Cruise Control, Laser-Guided	N/A	N/A	N/A	Optional
Daytime Running Lights	N/A	N/A	Standard	Optional
Heated Outside Mirrors	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional
Parking Assist, Front	N/A	Optional	N/A	Optional
Parking Assist, Rear	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional
Stability Control	N/A	Standard	Optional	Optional
Three-point Seatbelts for All	n/a	Standard	N/A	N/A
Tire Pressure Monitor	Optional	Standard	N/A	Standard
Tires, Run-Flat	N/A	Optional	N/A	Optional
Wiper De-icer Grid	N/A	N/A	N/A	Optional
NHTSA Driver	5-stars	5-stars	5-stars	4-stars
NHTSA Front Passenger	5-stars	5-stars	5-stars	5-stars
NHTSA Front Side	5-stars	5-stars*	4-stars	5-stars
NHTSA Rear Side	5-stars	5-stars	5-stars	5-stars
NHTSA Rollover	4-stars	4-stars	Not tested	4-stars
IIHS Frontal Offset	Acceptable	Good -- Best Pick	Good	Good -- Best Pick
IIHS Side Impact	Not tested	Not tested	Not tested	Not tested

* The NHTSA has a safety concern about this crash score for the 2005 Honda Odyssey. According to the NHTSA: “During the side impact test, the driver door became unlatched and opened. A door opening during a side impact crash increases the likelihood of occupant ejection.”