(March 7, 2013) TORRANCE, Calif. — The new 2013 Honda Civic sedan and coupe have received the highest available safety rating of TOP SAFETY PICK+ from the Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This recognition makes the Civic sedan and coupe the first and only IIHS Small cars in the industry so far to earn the new TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation.

Honda leads all other brands in achieving TOP SAFETY PICK+ ratings with four models — Civic sedan and coupe, and Accord sedan and coupe.  Further, for the 2013 model year, all Honda and Acura models tested by the IIHS have received a TOP SAFETY PICK or TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating.

The new Civic sedan, equipped with the second generation of the Honda Advanced Compatibility Body Structure (ACEII), is not only the first small car to earn TOP SAFETY PICK+ in the industry, but also the first and only to earn the highest possible rating of GOOD on the IIHS' new small overlap frontal crash test (sometimes called a "narrow offset" test).

This aggressive test is designed to simulate what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or an object such as a tree or utility pole at high speed.  The ACEII reinforced body structure found on the 2013 Civic further enhances frontal crash energy through a wider range of these offset and oblique collision scenarios.

Additional standard safety equipment on all Civic models include Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with traction control; an anti-lock braking system (ABS); side curtain airbags; dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags; and driver and front passenger side airbags.