The Honda Passport has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Wrangler doesn’t offer knee airbags.
Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Passport deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Passport’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Wrangler’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.
With its standard Collision Mitigation Braking System, the Honda Passport is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Jeep Wrangler, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
|
|
Passport |
Wrangler |
| Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
POOR |
|
|
Crossing Child - DAY |
|
| 12 MPH |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
| 25 MPH |
-11 MPH |
No Slowing |
|
|
Crossing Adult - NIGHT |
|
| 12 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
| 12 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
| 25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
| 25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
|
|
Parallel Adult - NIGHT |
|
| 25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
| 25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
| 37 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
| Warning Issued-Brights |
2.3 sec |
No Warning |
| 37 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
| Warning Issued-Low beams |
2 sec |
No Warning |
In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Honda Passport achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Jeep Wrangler has not been tested.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Passport has a standard Low-Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Wrangler doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
The Passport’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.
The Passport TrailSport Elite has a standard Multi-View Camera System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Wrangler only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.
The Honda Passport’s Multi-View Camera System offers available integrated front and rear camera washers, ensuring clear, all-weather visibility without the need for manual cleaning. In contrast, the Jeep Wrangler lacks camera washers, requiring you to manually clean the cameras for optimal performance.
The Passport has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Wrangler’s blind spot costs extra.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Passport has standard Cross Traffic Monitor, helping the driver avoid collisions. Jeep charges extra for Rear Cross Path Detection on the Wrangler.
The Passport’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Passport uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Wrangler uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.
Both the Passport and the Wrangler have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding and rearview cameras.
A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Honda Passport is safer than the Wrangler 4-door:
|
|
Passport |
Wrangler |
| Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
MARGINAL |
| Restraints |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
| Head Neck Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Head injury index |
104 |
209 |
| Peak Head Forces |
0 G’s |
0 G’s |
| Steering Column Movement Rearward |
0 cm |
3 cm |
| Chest Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Max Chest Compression |
23 cm |
30 cm |
| Hip & Thigh Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Femur Force R/L |
.4/.6 kN |
3.3/.6 kN |
| Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L |
0%/0% |
1%/0% |
| Lower Leg Evaluation |
GOOD |
POOR |
| Tibia index R/L |
.26/.42 |
.92/.33 |
Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Honda Passport is safer than the Wrangler 4-door:
|
|
Passport |
Wrangler |
| Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Structure |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
| Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Head Injury Criterion |
31 |
33 |
| Neck Tension |
112 lbs. |
134 lbs. |
| Torso |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Torso Max Deflection |
.59 in |
.83 in |
| Torso Deflection Rate |
5 MPH |
6 MPH |
| Pelvis |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Pelvis Force |
335 lbs. |
558 lbs. |
| Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
| Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Head Injury Criterion |
101 |
189 |
| Neck Tension |
89 lbs. |
134 lbs. |
| Neck Compression |
89 lbs. |
112 lbs. |
| Torso |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Torso Max Deflection |
.75 in |
.91 in |
| Torso Deflection Rate |
6 MPH |
6 MPH |
| Pelvis |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
| Pelvis Force |
513 lbs. |
915 lbs. |
| Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
The Honda Passport has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Wrangler is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

