Cars after crash test

The Honda Civic was the best performer in a new set of small-car crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. About half of the cars tested received marginal or poor marks. The worst performers sustained major structural intrusion into the occupant compartment, including the Nissan Sentra, Kia Soul and Kia Forte, the institute said. In some cases dummies’ heads struck hard structures such as the windshield pillar and instrument panel.