Modern cars are better at protecting their occupants in the event of a crash than ever before, and most new cars even have advanced driver-assistance systems that are designed to automatically intervene and prevent crashes from ever happening in the first place. While many automotive enthusiasts bemoan modern crash safety standards that have led to cars growing bigger, heavier and uglier, ultimately those are small prices to pay if lives are saved. Not all modern cars offer the same levels of occupant protection, though. One hallmark of luxury cars in the 21st century is excellent safety, but it seems that Cadillac missed that memo, because the 2026 Cadillac CT5 spectacularly failed the IIHS’ updated side crash test.
The CT5 scored the lowest possible rating of Poor in the updated side crash test, which involves a 4,200-pound deformable sled meant to mimic the front-end of a modern SUV T-boning the side of the vehicle being evaluated at 37 mph. The test was shared publicly earlier this month, and the results are bad: the driver dummy’s head experienced peak forces of 161 g’s when its head made direct contact with the door during the impact. That’s 161 times the force of gravity. It also experienced a HIC-15 (Head Injury Criterion for 15 milliseconds) value of 1,282. It’s believed that HIC-15 values above 900 result in major fractures and severe unconsciousness occurs.
The driver in this crash would likely be severely injured
Unlike earlier iterations of the side-impact crash test, the IIHS’ updated side crash test uses both a driver dummy and a rear passenger dummy that are the size of a fifth-percentile (small) woman or 12-year-old child, who’s about 4-foot-11 and weighs around 110 pounds. In the CT5’s case, the driver dummy’s head moved downward past the side curtain airbag and contacted the window sill hard, causing the scary peak g-rating of 161 and HIC value of 1,282. The rear dummy fared much better at least, with all injury measures low enough to earn the top rating of Good.
Research shows that brain injuries are likely during head impacts greater than about 80 g, and the driver dummy experienced more than twice that force. In the exact same test, the driver dummy in the Good-rated 2026 BMW 5 Series did not experience any peak g’s because its head didn’t contact any hard surfaces, and its HIC value was just 193. In the same test, even the driver dummy in the Good-rated 2026 Toyota Corolla also avoided contacting hard surfaces, and produced a HIC value as low as 114.
The 2026 CT5 also scored the worst rating of Poor in the updated moderate overlap front crash test, primarily due to the dummy in the rear seat which incurred forces that indicate a moderate risk of injury to the chest and a likely injury to the head or neck.
In a statement to Jalopnik, a Cadillac spokesperson said, “The safety of our vehicles is the highest priority for the entire GM team. We are confident in the safety of 2026 Cadillac CT5 that achieved a 5-Star rating in NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. We respect the consumer metric ratings from IIHS and look to incorporate their findings into our vehicle designs.”
For reference, the CT5 was updated in 2025, and the cars evaluated by the IIHS were Premium Luxury trim levels that weigh between 3,663 and 3,802 pounds, depending on whether they were rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The current CT5 is slated to be discontinued after the 2026 model year, but it will be replaced by a new sedan.Â
