The CT5 Scored POOR on Four IIHS Tests. NHTSA Gave It Five Stars. Same Car.

When GM redesigned the Cadillac CT5 for 2025, they gave it a new front fascia, updated tail lamps, and the kind of exterior styling refresh that looks great in a dealer brochure, but the underlying structure clearly hadn't kept pace. IIHS just tested the result and handed it POOR ratings in four categories: moderate overlap front crash, side impact, headlights, and front crash prevention, the worst result of any vehicle tested in that batch.

In the side impact test, the B pillar crushed inward and compromised survival space, and its side airbag failed to keep the dummy from hitting the windowsill, which is arguably worse. Rear-seat dummies registered injury measures consistent with severe head and chest trauma, meaning real passengers would not have walked away from this crash. IIHS Senior VP Jessica Jermakian was blunt: "It seems the crashworthiness and crash avoidance results weren't important for GM when they were redesigning the Cadillac CT5."^[1]

GM fired back by citing its five-star NHTSA rating, which is technically legitimate: the CT5 scored 5/5 on every NHTSA metric, including frontal barrier, side crash, and rollover.^[2] Two federal safety organizations tested the exact same vehicle, and one called it perfect while the other called it one of the worst performers in years. If you're spending $48,600 on a sedan and relying on star ratings, you now have two contradictory answers about whether your family survives a crash. The agencies test different crash scenarios at different speeds with different dummies, which is why you need both.

FARS data suggests which answer to trust: the CTS, the CT5's predecessor on essentially the same platform, posted 1.32 deaths per 100 million VMT from 2014 through 2023, making it 4.1 times deadlier than the Audi A4, roughly double the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and fifty percent worse than the Lexus IS.^[3] GM's luxury sedan wasn't competitive on safety before the CT5 existed, and these IIHS results suggest they never closed the gap.

Behavioral data makes it worse: over a quarter of CTS drivers in fatal crashes tested positive for alcohol or drugs, ranking alongside the Corvette and the BMW 7 Series for one of the highest impairment rates in the entire FARS dataset. Sports-car impairment rates in a sedan that folds on impact.

In that same IIHS batch, vehicles ranging from a $28,000 Mazda CX-5 to an Audi A6 earned Top Safety Pick+. So did Subaru's Crosstrek Hybrid and the BMW X1.^[1] Price didn't predict the outcome — engineering did.

What this means for you: If a dealer tells you the CT5 is a five-star car, ask which agency said so, then look up the other one. Check headlights by trim on the IIHS site before buying any 2024–2026 Cadillac. And if you already own one, your rear-seat passengers deserve to know the structure around them earned a poor rating for exactly the kind of side impact that kills people on American roads every day.