Heavy-duty pickup trucks from brands like Ford, Chevrolet, and Ram aren’t considered passenger vehicles under federal regulations. So while an F-150 or Ram 1500 has to meet fuel-economy and crash-safety standards, a Super Duty or Ram HD doesn’t. But the feds aren’t the only ones conducting crash tests.
Because it’s backed by the insurance industry, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has an incentive to be tough on automakers when it comes to crash performance. Its safety evaluations for light-duty passenger vehicles—encompassing crash tests and performance evaluations of related features like headlights and crash-avoidance tech—already go above and beyond the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regimen. Now it’s also casting a wider net by testing heavy-duty pickups and other commercial vehicles.
To get things started, the IIHS evaluated the performance of seatbelt reminders and seatbelt pre-tensioners in three Class 3 pickups (signifying a GVWR between 10,001 and 14,000 pounds) and six cargo vans, as well as confirming that seatbelt force limiters and front and side driver airbags are standard equipment. This may seem basic, but federal regulations don’t require any of these features.
The test group included one HD pickup from each of the Detroit Three: a 2026 Chevy Silverado 3500HD, 2025 Ford F-350 SuperCrew, and 2025 Ram 3500. The vans tested (all 2025 models) covered pretty much everything currently available, including a Chevy Express 2500, Ford Transit T250, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500, and Ram ProMaster 2500, along with an electric Rivian Delivery 500 and Chevy BrightDrop 400, even though the latter has been discontinued.
No crash tests were performed, but test drives were conducted to see if seatbelt reminders actually did their jobs. To pass, vehicles needed to have a visible warning light and an audible tone that could be heard over background noise. The IIHS requires warnings to continue for at least 90 seconds, compared to the federal standard of four to eight seconds. This is especially important in commercial vehicles because drivers are likely unbuckling frequently when making stops, the IIHS notes, adding that one of its studies showed that persistent reminders increased seatbelt use by 30%.
The Ram 3500, Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, Chevy Express, and Rivian all failed the seatbelt reminder test. The ancient Express also lacked effective seatbelt force limiters. Everything else was a pass, though. Not a bad start.
The IIHS plans to expand testing to cover other features such as headlights and automatic emergency braking, as well as larger Class 4-6 trucks, helping to close the safety gap with passenger cars and reduce injuries and fatalities. In 2023, 6,535 people were killed in crashes involving medium- and heavy-duty trucks or light vans, accounting for 16% of U.S. road fatalities that year, according to the IIHS. So the insurance-backed nonprofit’s testing program arrives not a moment too soon.
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