As part of our individual model reviews, we include safety information from the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to help you find the safest vehicles on the road. However, exotics and supercars are rarely crash-tested, owing to the sheer cost involved in sending six-figure hulks of metal, glass, and carbon fiber flying into a concrete barrier.
Rimac, the maker of extreme hypercars like the C_Two, wants you to know that its cars are as safe as they are blisteringly quick and has just subjected the C_Two - an EV worth around $2 million each - to another series of crash tests. It follows crash tests of other high-performance EVs like the Porsche Taycan.
In a video shared on YouTube, the company delved into the complex process of crash-testing two of its hypercars in two days. Using C_Two prototypes, the testers conducted the offset deformable barrier impact test, including one at a speed of 56 km/h (35 mph). This test required destroying two cars, but all in all, the company will destroy 11 prototypes in the various crash tests, assessing aspects like the strength of the structure, airbag deployment, and the seatbelt pre-tensioners.
To cut to the chase, the Rimac C_Two performed brilliantly in the offset deformable barrier test, with the front of the car impressively absorbing the bulk of the crash's energy before it could reach the passenger compartment, which remained intact.
The C_Two's unique construction - a carbon-fiber monocoque, along with a bonded carbon roof - make it more challenging to simulate crash tests via computer software, so physical tests are essential. Clearly, the EV performed superbly, with no intrusion of the pedals in the footwells and the risk of other injuries was very low.
In short, an adult would likely be able to walk away from an accident of this kind in the C_Two. That's the kind of security you want in a car with 1,900 horsepower and that can reach 60 mph in less than two seconds. Between these tests and Richard Hammond's terrifying crash in a Concept One, hopefully this is the last time we see a Rimac destroyed.