2008 Hyundai Accent Safety Review [ 2007 ]
Based on analysis of 37 Accent reviews and test drives.
Safety - What the Auto Press Says
While the 2008 Hyundai Accent receives reasonably high scores in government crash tests, it only receives an "Acceptable" rating in the insurance industry's frontal offset tests and a "Poor" rating for side impact tests.
The 2008 Accent earned five out of five stars in both driver and front passenger protection in frontal offset crashes. The Accent earned four out of five stars for its front seat and three out of five stars for its rear seat in side crashes. The car has a four-star rollover rating. Cars.com notes, "Now in its third generation, the compact car comes standard with six airbags -- which strangely did not prevent last year's model from being rated Poor in side-impact crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety."
Accident Avoidance
When trying to avoid an accident, drivers of the 2008 Hyundai Accent SE models can rely on the four-wheel disc, anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution that's included as a standard feature. All models of the 2008 Hyundai Accent feature front-disc brakes for emergency stops.
Crash Protection
In the event of a collision, the 2008 Hyundai Accent's two front air bags will deploy, along with two front seat-mounted side-impact air bags and two roof-mounted side-curtain air bags, which are standard features in the Accent --something Car and Driver highlights as "usually unheard of in an economy car." The 2008 Hyundai Accent also includes seatbelt pretensioners and adjustable head restraints designed shingle-style to improve visibility. Hyundai also has side-impact door beams, front and rear crumple zones and hood-buckling creases to the 2008 Accent to lessen cabin impact during collisions.
