By Jeanette Torres

For the first time, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has conducted crash tests on small SUVs to measure front-corner impact, which accounts for about 24 percent of injuries and deaths from frontal crashes. But only two of the 13 vehicles tested received passing grades.

"The best-performing vehicles were the Subaru Forester and the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport," Russ Rader with the IIHS tells ABC News Radio.

The Forester was the first vehicle to ace every aspect of the new crash test, earning it a rating of "good." The Outlander Sport scored the next best rating, "acceptable." Both SUVs were named "Top Safety Pick+," the institute's recently inaugurated top honor.

The remaining 11 SUVs received "marginal" or "poor" ratings, with the lowest-rated being the Ford Escape.

"It had poor structural performance. There was a lot of intrusion into the occupant compartment," Rader said of the Escape.

Joining the Escape in the "poor" category: the Buick Encore, Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Patriot and Kia Sportage.

The BMW X1, Honda CR-V, two-door Jeep Wrangler, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Rogue and Volkswagen Tiguan were placed in the "marginal" category.