IIHS crash safety results for 2025-2026 MY LC250

[RideWithYanu]

I gotta be honest, my response was mostly anecdotal. I don’t really care. They both light up close enough, they both pass standards. One looks good, and the other has cheap plastic mascara filler under it

Stop making fun of us rectangle-appreciators or we will cry and you know that’s gonna destroy our makeup.

 

[DubDub]

Hard to be happy looking like a Bronco though...............................

If you think the 58 resembles a bronco, or that broncos are the ancestral purveyor of circle lights, well… I’ve got some prime land to sell you on the moon. It’s completely legit, you can trust me

 

[RideWithYanu]

Hard to be happy looking like a Bronco though...............................

Broncos look fantastic to my eye. None of my complaints are aesthetics-related. Especially love the SWB Broncos.

 

[GrayBeard]

I gotta be honest, my response was mostly anecdotal. I don’t really care. They both light up close enough, they both pass standards. One looks good, and the other has cheap plastic mascara filler under it

Ha! Jokes on you. I'm going to use this IIHS report as justification to Toyota that they MUST replace my rectangle lights with the circular, but I still got all the LC trim interior stuff.

You know, because Toyota's been so responsive on the brake squeal, the incessant warnings in snow and ice, the Tundra engine thing...oh...crap.

 

[Slippers]

I don't completely understand these results. rectangle lights appear to shine farther on some metrics

I know, right?

Looking at the presented data:

Round low beams reach the optimal illum line in all five zones.
Round high beams reach the optimal illum line in three of five zones, coming up short at hard right and straight distances.

Rectangle low beams reach the optimal illum in all five zones.
Rectangle high beams reach the optimal illum in three of five zones, coming up short at hard left and hard right distances.

And yet, the rectangle are considered marginal while the round are good?

Hmmm.

 

[Sugarloafer80]

I can't see your point hehe

 

[DubDub]

I love how this IIHS safety post turned into a ‘58 owner’s source of affirmation, and a LC trim owner’s source of denial and incredulity I joke, maybe?

 

[RideWithYanu]

I love how this IIHS safety post turned into a ‘58 owner’s source of affirmation, and a LC trim owner’s source of denial and incredulity I joke, maybe?

I for one appreciate the teasin. Funny, I had always read that the triple beams had better light output than the round headlights (never without any source, importantly), and now the testing is actually suggesting the opposite.

 

[katekebo]

I know, right?

Looking at the presented data:

Round low beams reach the optimal illum line in all five zones.
Round high beams reach the optimal illum line in three of five zones, coming up short at hard right and straight distances.

Rectangle low beams reach the optimal illum in all five zones.
Rectangle high beams reach the optimal illum in three of five zones, coming up short at hard left and hard right distances.

And yet, the rectangle are considered marginal while the round are good?

Hmmm.

They got marginal rating because they cause too much glare for the oncoming traffic. It's clearly explained in the detailed evaluation.
Glare is a HUGE problem and a serious safety issue with LED headlights.

 

[Slippers]

I for one appreciate the teasin. Funny, I had always read that the triple beams had better light output than the round headlights (never without any source, importantly), and now the testing is actually suggesting the opposite.

Testing shows they’re very similar, except for glare apparently.

Here are the detailed results:

1958/fe round:

LC rectangle:

The rectangle have more range in most measurements, although it’s very close, but also way more glare.

Keep in mind this is a sample of one. I bet there are variations between housings and aim.

 

[derek]

They got marginal rating because they cause too much glare for the oncoming traffic. It's clearly explained in the detailed evaluation.
Glare is a HUGE problem and a serious safety issue with LED headlights.

So I might be dumb and selfish, but wouldn’t that be a problem for the other drivers and not me? It appears that the rectangle lights are actually brighter all things considered.

 

[DubDub]

I need all y’all LC trim nerds to channel all of this energy and focus into something that benefits us all. Who cares about headlights? It’s ok y’all’s rectangular illuminators aren’t as good as the FE’s and 1958s.

So go ahead and have a beer, or glass of wine… look in the mirror and tell yourself it is all going to work out, and that you’re still superior to 1958 drivers… and focus up on something we all want to talk about.

My suggestions you ask? Well thank you for asking. I think we should have a 79 page conversation, spread out over 21 threads, repeating our own opinions on whether or not we need to use premium fuel. Sprinkle in some MPG stats and a healthy debate on the applicability of ECO mode and E load tires. I’m here for you guys and gals, so let’s finally settle this!

 

[APIOQM]

So I might be dumb and selfish, but wouldn’t that be a problem for the other drivers and not me? It appears that the rectangle lights are actually brighter all things considered.

It would be a problem for you if they get blinded and accidentally run into you.

 

[ptahkeem]

I know it’s impossible given the cost/different combinations but would love to see the results of this testing with some of the different aftermarket bumpers

I think for low speed impacts an offroad bumper can help by being strong and rigid but for on road safety, OEM bumpers are engineered to deform in a specific manner to absorb energy and allow for proper deformation. OEM bumpers and hoods are also designed for pedestrian safety.

 

[sweet5ltr]

I think for low speed impacts an offroad bumper can help by being strong and rigid but for on road safety, OEM bumpers are engineered to deform in a specific manner to absorb energy and allow for proper deformation. OEM bumpers and hoods are also designed for pedestrian safety.

Aussie bumpers are crash test safety rated, so they maintain this compliance for proper air bag deployment (above low speed impacts and animal strikes). I don't believe American manufacturers are held to these standards.

Even a low speed collision without a full hoop bumper in a LC 250 will be $10-$15,000 in damage. Crazy how little protection there is behind the bumper and grill.

 

[ptahkeem]

Aussie bumpers are crash test safety rated, so they maintain this compliance for proper air bag deployment (above low speed impacts and animal strikes). I don't believe American manufacturers are held to these standards.

Even a low speed collision without a full hoop bumper in a LC 250 will be $10-$15,000 in damage. Crazy how little protection there is behind the bumper and grill.

The price of technology and also global inflation… there is actually quite a bit of engineering that goes into the OEM bumpers, frame, and body. In crash safety, a car isn’t really meant to withstand the impact without taking on damage. The car, and its parts are meant to absorb the impact and disperse it through deformation. I’m not quite sure how offroad bumpers are crash rated as they kind of serve the opposite purpose of what crash tests test for. Will probably do a bit of a research on this as offroad bumpers are meant to withstand impacts and not deform.

 

[ptahkeem]

Aussie bumpers are crash test safety rated, so they maintain this compliance for proper air bag deployment (above low speed impacts and animal strikes). I don't believe American manufacturers are held to these standards.

Even a low speed collision without a full hoop bumper in a LC 250 will be $10-$15,000 in damage. Crazy how little protection there is behind the bumper and grill.

I’m too lazy to google search nowadays so I generated some heat and wasted energy and used ChatGPT to drum this up regarding the Australian crash rated offroad bumpers.

From ChatGPT:
It doesn’t automatically make the vehicle safer because crash safety is not about having the strongest front end; it is about the vehicle crumpling in a controlled way so the people inside slow down more gradually and the airbags fire at the right time. A heavy steel off-road bumper may protect the front of the vehicle from rocks, brush, low-speed hits, or animal strikes, but in a real road crash it can also make the front end stiffer and transfer more force into the frame and occupants. So when an Australian bumper is “crash rated,” the main claim is not “this makes your crash protection better.” The claim is: this bumper was engineered so it should not seriously interfere with the factory crumple zones, airbag timing, and crash sensors. In other words, it is more about not ruining the factory safety design than improving it.

So, I think basically the crash rating is to show that the specific product when paired to the specific vehicle it is fitted for has met the ADR/AS 4876 standard and is airbag-compatible for the specific vehicle.

 

[ultane]

It would be a problem for you if they get blinded and accidentally run into you.

Yeeup… Target fixation, for the inexperienced drivers.

 

[ptahkeem]

Yeeup… Target fixation, for the inexperienced drivers.

You go where you look lol

 

[GR8Santini]

Yea they recently updated their tests and increase speeds from 35 to 40mph if I’m not mistaken. I think the new “hard” test for manufacturers to pass is the moderate overlap because it now focuses more on rear occupant safety compared to just driver and front passenger safety. It used to be the small overlap that was very difficult for manufacturers to pass.

That said… I don’t think many crashes happen at 40mph. Most crashes are going involve two vehicles traveling at their own rates of speed which have a chance of more energy being imparted on the parties involved. Kinda crazy that cars aren’t safer than they are right now… and a lot of people vastly overlook the crash safety and the lack of automated avoidance features of older more “reliable” vehicles.

Semi ran a red light crossing a highway.
I think, heck I know Toyotas are much safer today than ever before.
That light in the steeple shined on us that night!
Own 3 Toys & 1 Lex.