High-strength concrete-filled steel tubular (HCFHST) square columns are commonly used as critical members in super high-rise and high-rise structures. These columns are susceptible to being impacted by vehicles in service, resulting in column damage and even structural collapse. Therefore, a lateral impact test of HSCFST columns is conducted using a rigid test truck. The failure mode, impact force, deformation and energy dissipation capacity are analyzed to reveal its dynamic response. Then, the refined finite element models are established, and the damage evolution law, energy dissipation mechanism, and dynamic distribution of internal load of HSCFST columns under different span-to-height ratios (H/L) are analyzed to reveal its working mechanism. The effects of H/L on column dynamic responses with varying impact mass, velocity, steel and concrete strength, steel ratio, and section size are investigated. The results indicate that HCFHST specimens display bending deformation and superior impact resistance. Based on internal force distribution laws, the failure section of HCFHST columns is close to the support. When H/L © 2024 Elsevier Ltd