Guide to Automatic Emergency Braking

“The best AEB systems are the ones you never notice until you need them most,” says Kelly Funkhouser, manager for vehicle technology at CR. “They are designed to only activate at the last possible second, so it’s common to have never experienced an AEB event." Our survey respondents tended to agree, with a majority of owners telling us they were “very satisfied” with their AEB systems.

But it’s important to remember that AEB isn’t foolproof and that today’s AEB systems can’t prevent all collisions. Even high-speed AEB systems can only slow a car down in some cases, mitigating a crash rather than preventing it. And studies show that AEB with pedestrian detection can’t always see pedestrians and cyclists at night or in turns. “It’s important to remember these systems are using cameras and sensors that can get dirty, blinded by sunlight, or obscured in the rain,” Funkhouser says. “Never rely on these systems to work perfectly, and always stay vigilant.”

Some systems have been a little overzealous in deciding when to hit the brakes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating complaints of unexpected braking in some 2017-2019 Honda vehicles. Nissan updated the software in some of its 2017-2018 Rogue SUVs to address false braking, And both Tesla and Mazda have recalled cars to fix unexpected AEB application.

CR’s take: FCW and AEB are available in most new cars, but the two safety features are still not yet standard equipment across the industry. CR believes these systems should come with all trim levels, given their ability to save lives. Extra credit is awarded in our Overall Score for models that have systems that can operate at highway speeds and detect pedestrians as standard equipment. Drivers should be aware that AEB is a last resort—not a system that they should rely on.

CR, AAA, J.D. Power, and the National Safety Council have agreed on specific standardized names for individual safety systems in order to reduce confusion and improve consumer understanding of what they do. Still, manufacturers often use their own names. These are some that automakers use or have used for AEB and packages that have AEB: