For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda Passport have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Jeep Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.
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 Grand Cherokee’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 Grand Cherokee, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
|
|
Passport |
Grand Cherokee |
| Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
|
Crossing Child - DAY |
|
| 12 MPH |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
| 25 MPH |
-11 MPH |
-11 MPH |
|
|
Crossing Adult - NIGHT |
|
| 12 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
| 12 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
| 25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
| 25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
|
|
Parallel Adult - NIGHT |
|
| 25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
| 25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
| 37 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-33 MPH |
| Warning Issued-Brights |
2.3 sec |
2 sec |
| 37 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
-28 MPH |
| Warning Issued-Low beams |
2 sec |
1.6 sec |
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 Grand Cherokee has not been tested.
To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Passport. But it costs extra on the Grand Cherokee.
The Honda Passport TrailSport Elite’s Multi-View Camera System is available with washers for its front and rear cameras, ensuring crystal-clear visibility in any weather condition. Conversely, the Jeep Grand Cherokee only offers a rear camera washer, which may not provide the same level of all-weather performance.
Both the Passport and the Grand Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Passport is much safer than the Grand Cherokee:
|
|
Passport |
Grand Cherokee |
| Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
POOR |
| Structure |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
| Head/Neck Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Head Injury Criterion |
135 |
252 |
| Chest Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Thigh/hip Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Thigh Forces L/R |
135/90 pounds |
180/360 pounds |
| Leg/foot Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Thigh Forces L/R |
135/90 pounds |
180/360 pounds |
| Leg Forces L/R |
405/337 pounds |
495/607 pounds |
| Restraints |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
|
Rear Passenger Injury Measures |
|
| Head/Neck Rating |
GOOD |
POOR |
| Thigh Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Restraints |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
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 Grand Cherokee:
|
|
Passport |
Grand Cherokee |
| Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Structure |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
| Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Head Injury Criterion |
31 |
253 |
| Neck Tension |
112 lbs. |
402 lbs. |
| Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
| Shoulder Deflection |
.67 in |
1.22 in |
| Torso Max Deflection |
.59 in |
1.34 in |
| Torso Deflection Rate |
5 MPH |
7 MPH |
| Pelvis |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
| Pelvis Force |
335 lbs. |
1004 lbs. |
| Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
| Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Head Injury Criterion |
101 |
185 |
| Neck Compression |
89 lbs. |
312 lbs. |
| Torso |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Shoulder Deflection |
.71 in |
1.34 in |
| Shoulder Force |
335 lbs. |
379 lbs. |
| Torso Max Deflection |
.75 in |
1.61 in |
| Torso Deflection Rate |
6 MPH |
8 MPH |
| Pelvis |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Pelvis Force |
513 lbs. |
803 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 Grand Cherokee is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

