For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Camry Hybrid have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.
The Toyota Camry Hybrid has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Sonata Hybrid doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.
The Camry Hybrid has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats (WIL), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WIL system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Sonata Hybrid doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
The Camry Hybrid has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Sonata Hybrid doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.
Both the Camry Hybrid and the Sonata Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Camry Hybrid is safer than the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid:
|
Camry Hybrid |
Sonata Hybrid |
OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
140 |
514 |
Neck Injury Risk |
20% |
22% |
Neck Compression |
13 lbs. |
33 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
335 |
346 |
Neck Injury Risk |
21% |
33% |
Neck Compression |
45 lbs. |
189 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Camry Hybrid is safer than the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid:
|
Camry Hybrid |
Sonata Hybrid |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
134 |
163 |
Chest Movement |
.7 inches |
1 inches |
Abdominal Force |
136 lbs. |
305 lbs. |
Hip Force |
296 lbs. |
498 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
289 |
301 |
Spine Acceleration |
48 G’s |
72 G’s |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
14 inches |
20 inches |
HIC |
164 |
288 |
Spine Acceleration |
35 G’s |
38 G’s |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Toyota Camry Hybrid is safer than the Sonata Hybrid:
|
Camry Hybrid |
Sonata Hybrid |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Structure |
ACCEPTABLE |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Neck Tension |
290 lbs. |
379 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
1.1 in |
1.54 in |
Shoulder Force |
290 lbs. |
357 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
1.18 in |
1.5 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
9 MPH |
13 MPH |
Pelvis |
ACCEPTABLE |
ACCEPTABLE |
Pelvis Force |
937 lbs. |
982 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Neck Tension |
45 lbs. |
312 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Pelvis |
ACCEPTABLE |
MARGINAL |
Pelvis Force |
1049 lbs. |
1339 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Camry Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sonata Hybrid is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2023.