The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) decided to put pickup headlights to the test, and the result is not what you would expect. Apparently, the majority of trucks have below than average units installed, and those are simply not delivering enough of the light that we optimally need. The only one that managed to earn a rating “good” was 2017 Honda Ridgeline which is not that strange.
This test consisted of 2016 to 2017 GMC Sierra, 2017 Nissan Titan, 2016 Ram 1500, 2016 to 2017 Chevrolet Silverado, 2016 to 2017 Ford F-150, and 2016 to 2017 Toyota Tundra. The rating on their headlights go as followed: Sierra – “acceptable”, Titan and Ram 1500 – “marginal”, Silverado, F-150, and Tundra – “poor”. What was interesting is that the IIHS claimed that the most disappointing one out of all the large pickup trucks was the Ford F-150 because its both halogen and optional LED headlights failed to provide satisfying visibility during the test. The only one, as we previously mentioned, that received the “good” rating is the 2017 Honda Ridgeline which is often considered as a midsize or small truck, but IIHS decided to include it as a large pickup.
The small pickup truck group that was tested by IIHS was made up of 2016 Chevrolet Colorado, 2016 GMC Canyon, 2016 Nissan Frontier, and 2016 to 2017 Toyota Tacoma and unfortunately all of them earned “poor” rating. According to results, the Colorado was the worst of the bunch because its headlights were able to illuminate only up to 123 feet in front of the car, while the Ridgeline’s headlights, for comparison, illuminated up to 358 feet in front of the vehicle.
The IIHS, while conducting its tests, uses a special tool that measures how far light is projected in certain driving situations. In accordance with this, the tests were carried out in a straight line as well as in corners. The vehicles that had the high-beam assist received extra praise. For next year all automakers will have to put some more effort and equip their vehicles with headlights that will earn at least “good” or “acceptable” rating if they want to earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award.
 decided to put pickup headlights to the test, and the result is not what you would expect. Apparently, the){kind=link}