IIHS Finds AEB Gaps in Cargo Vans and Work Pickups
IIHS' first front crash-prevention ratings for commercial vehicles show cargo vans and heavy-duty pickups still trail passenger vehicles, with mixed results on automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection.
Commercial vehicles get their first AEB report card
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says cargo vans and heavy-duty pickups are still behind passenger vehicles in front crash prevention, based on the group's first commercial-vehicle ratings for vehicle-to-vehicle and pedestrian crash avoidance.
The finding matters for fleets because these are the vehicles showing up in delivery, utility, facilities, service, construction and public-sector operations. IIHS President David Harkey called the results a wake-up call for commercial vehicle makers, noting that larger vans and trucks create added risk for other road users when their crash-prevention systems underperform.
Vans led the stronger results
The top performers were cargo vans. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 earned a good rating for vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention, while the Chevrolet BrightDrop 400 and Rivian RCV-Delivery 500 earned good ratings for pedestrian crash avoidance.
Several familiar commercial platforms landed lower. IIHS said the Chevrolet Express 2500 and GMC Savana 2500 earned poor ratings in both vehicle-to-vehicle and pedestrian testing because they lack automatic emergency braking and only offer forward collision warning as an option.
Pickup height remains a safety problem
The pedestrian results were stronger overall than the vehicle-to-vehicle tests, but IIHS flagged a specific issue for work pickups: child-pedestrian detection. The Ford F-350 and Ram 3500 earned acceptable pedestrian ratings, yet the group said some systems had more trouble with the shorter child dummy in daylight conditions than with an adult at night.
For fleet buyers, the practical takeaway is straightforward: front crash-prevention equipment should be checked at the trim and package level, not assumed from the badge. AEB availability, warning timing and pedestrian performance now belong in the same buying conversation as payload, upfit readiness and total cost of ownership.
