Earlier this month, the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab launched a memorandum explaining an replace to its STAR ranking rating thresholds for bicycle and soccer helmets. Seems, helmets are getting safer, and the helmet take a look at crew felt “the 5-star label had develop into diluted.” So, they felt this threshold adjustment was wanted “to revive the flexibility of our system to distinguish.” Primarily, it had develop into too simple for contemporary helmets to earn a 5-star ranking beneath the outdated scoring thresholds.
Virginia Tech Helmet Take a look at Lab
In case you are unfamiliar, the Virginia Tech Helmet Take a look at Lab has been independently testing and ranking bicycle helmets since 2018 and has develop into one of the trusted sources for comparative impression efficiency knowledge. Utilizing a standardized testing protocol, Virginia Tech has examined a whole lot of bicycle helmets — together with different sports activities like soccer, equestrian, and snow sports activities — to offer goal comparative knowledge to tell shoppers and producers alike.
I’ve examined dozens of helmets for evaluations and purchaser’s guides over time, and I’ve typically referenced Virginia Tech’s helmet rankings. Not essentially as a result of its the be-all and end-all of a helmet’s protecting qualities, however as a result of they’re just about the one useful resource for this kind of standardized, comparative impression take a look at knowledge. In keeping with Virginia Tech’s latest memo, “For shoppers, this method highlights efficiency variations that aren’t seen from worth or advertising claims. For producers, our take a look at protocols and efficiency thresholds supply a benchmark for innovation and enchancment.”
And enhance they’ve. Not too long ago, scoring nicely in Virginia Tech’s impression testing has develop into an enormous promoting level, with manufacturers seemingly competing for prime honors and one-upping one another’s scores and ranks. Previously 12 months alone, the brand new Fox Speedframe fashions launched with the highest rating, solely to be bested a month or so later by the new POC Cularis and Cytal helmets earlier than they have been even obtainable to the general public.
Safer Helmets
Over time, new supplies, applied sciences like Mips, and designs have improved the protecting qualities of bicycle helmets — and a few of that may probably be attributed to Virginia Tech’s unbiased testing. Virginia Tech states that when it began ranking bike helmets in 2018, solely 4 out of 30 (~13%) earned 5 stars. In 2025, a whopping 167 of 272 helmets (~61%) have been rated 5-star.
Whereas beforehand the take a look at lab had predetermined, fastened rating thresholds, “when the vast majority of helmets can earn 5 stars, the highest class now not distinguishes the perfect.” In fact, this can be a good factor because it signifies that helmet security is enhancing, however it additionally makes it tougher for shoppers to distinguish the great from the very best.
Adjusted Star Score Thresholds
To treatment this, Virginia Tech has chosen to regulate its ranking threshold. In keeping with the memo, “To obtain a 4- or 5-star ranking, a helmet should carry out throughout the prime 50% primarily based on its total impression efficiency rating. To differentiate between 4- and 5-star helmets, we computed the midpoint between the median-performing helmet and the best-performing helmet. Helmets nearer to the highest performer obtained 5 stars; these nearer to the median obtained 4 stars.”
This shift has dramatically lowered the variety of 5-star bicycle helmets from 167 to 38. Virginia Tech can be fast to level out that simply because a helmet’s star ranking has modified, “this isn’t as a result of their efficiency has worsened, however relatively the bar for top-tier efficiency has risen.” And that “typically, we suggest any 4- or 5-star-rated helmet.” That stated, some beforehand 5-star rated helmets have dropped all the way down to 3-stars beneath the recalibrated ranking system.
Now, bicycle helmet producers might want to work somewhat tougher to get into and keep within the prime 50% to earn these coveted 5-star rankings. Typically talking, bike helmets are presently as secure as they’ve ever been, however somewhat wholesome competitors on the prime ought to be sure that they simply preserve getting safer.
Try Virginia Tech’s bicycle helmet rankings to see in case your helmet has been examined and the way it ranks. In any other case, click on via to the technical paperwork to study extra about Virginia Tech’s helmet testing protocol. It’s truly fairly attention-grabbing.
Helmet Rankings: helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html
Helmet Lab: (For more information concerning the lab itself, together with a video tour) daring.beam.vt.edu/BOLDLabs/HelmetLab.html