2019 BMW 3 Series 4-door Sedan is a TOP SAFETY PICK+

ARLINGTON, Virginia, May 3 -- The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety issued the following news release:

BMW earns a fifth 2019 safety award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, with the latest accolade going to the 2019 3 series 4-door sedan. The midsize luxury car earns a TOP SAFETY PICK+ award when equipped with specific headlights.

To qualify for a 2019 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, a vehicle must earn good ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, as well as an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention and a good headlight rating.

The 3 series 4-door sedan earns good ratings across the board for crashworthiness and earns a superior rating for its standard and optional front crash prevention systems. The systems avoided collisions in 12 mph and 25 mph IIHS track tests and have a forward collision warning component that meets the criteria set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The midsize luxury car is available with three headlight options that offer a range of performance. The optional curve-adaptive headlights that come with the Executive package earn a good rating in IIHS tests. This headlight option also features high-beam assist, a system that automatically switches between high beams and low beams, depending on the presence of other vehicles. The car's base headlights -- static LED projectors -- earn a poor rating, while the optional curve-adaptive lights sold with the Convenience package rate marginal.