For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The VinFast VF 8 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.
In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Highlander Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The VF 8 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The Highlander Hybrid has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The VF 8 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
The Toyota Highlander Hybrid’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the VinFast VF 8 does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.
Both the Highlander Hybrid and VF 8 have Rear Cross Traffic Alert, but the Highlander Hybrid Limited/Platinum has Parking Support Brake (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The VF 8’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.
Both the Highlander Hybrid and the VF 8 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is safer than the VinFast VF 8:
|
|
Highlander Hybrid |
VF 8 |
| OVERALL STARS |
4 Stars |
2 Stars |
|
|
Driver |
|
| STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
| Neck Stress |
347 lbs. |
367 lbs. |
| Neck Compression |
55 lbs. |
56 lbs. |
| Leg Forces (l/r) |
321/243 lbs. |
452/399 lbs. |
|
|
Passenger |
|
| STARS |
4 Stars |
2 Stars |
| HIC |
328 |
823 |
| Chest Compression |
.6 inches |
.8 inches |
| Neck Injury Risk |
28.4% |
98.3% |
| Neck Stress |
179 lbs. |
197 lbs. |
| Neck Compression |
90 lbs. |
202 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is safer than the VinFast VF 8:
|
|
Highlander Hybrid |
VF 8 |
|
|
Front Seat |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| HIC |
55 |
67 |
| Chest Movement |
.3 inches |
.8 inches |
| Abdominal Force |
79 lbs. |
180 lbs. |
|
|
Rear Seat |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| Hip Force |
152 lbs. |
440 lbs. |
|
|
Into Pole |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| Spine Acceleration |
41 G’s |
42 G’s |
| Hip Force |
664 lbs. |
677 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

