Arlington, Virginia – The 2010 Toyota Corolla and Scion xB have earned “Top Safety Pick” awards in testing by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). They are the first Toyota models to earn the designation since the IIHS added a new rollover test to the criteria for 2010.

Both models also earned the Top Safety Pick award in 2009.

To qualify for a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of “good” in the Institute’s front, side, rollover and rear impact tests, and be equipped with electronic stability control.

To earn the top rollover rating, a roof must support the equivalent of four times the vehicle’s weight compared with the current federal standard of 1.5. In the tests, the xB’s roof withstood a force equal to 6.8 times the car’s weight, while the Corolla supported 5.1 times the car’s weight.

“Top Safety Pick recognizes the vehicles that afford buyers the best overall protection in common crashes,” said IIHS president Adrian Lund. “With more top performers, there’s no reason to buy a small car with less than stellar crash test ratings.”