Nearly a third fewer vehicles qualified for awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety this year, compared to 2024. This reflects toughening crash test guidelines meant to protect rear-seat occupants. Headlight.News looks at which vehicles took IIHS’s coveted Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards this time around.
Honda Civic was one of 36 models to earn an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award.
A total of 48 cars, trucks and crossovers won Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety this year. That marks the most significant decline in decades, a total of 71 vehicles honored by the safety group in 2024.
The shortfall reflects a big change in testing standards which have just gone into effect, the IIHS now requiring automakers to upgrade rear seat occupant protection – whether through advanced seatbelt technology or other innovations, it said Wednesday.
“We’re once again challenging automakers to make their new models even safer than those they were building a year ago,” IIHS President David Harkey said in a statement announcing the latest awards. “Every vehicle that earns a 2025 award offers a high level of safety in both the front seat and the second row.”
Who won: Top Safety Pick+
2025 IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus Winners
To earn a Top Safety Pick+, IIHS’s highest honor, automakers need to get “Good” ratings in the small overlap front test, updated moderate overlap front test and updated side test. They also must score “Good” or “Acceptable” in meeting the IIHS headlight standard. And “Plus” ratings require a “Good” or “Acceptable” score in the pedestrian front crash test.
“A variety of models, ranging from small cars to large pickups and from economy cars to luxury vehicles, occupy the winner’s circle, and most major players in the U.S. market are represented,”: IIHS explained in its statement. “SUVs, which make up a large percentage of new models for sale, account for the bulk of the awards. Eight small SUVs, nine midsize SUVs, eight midsize luxury SUVs and three large SUVs combine for 28 of the 36 total TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards.”
Who Won: Top Safety Pick
2025 IIHS Top Safety Pick Winners
To earn this award a vehicle must get a “Good” rating in the small overlap front and updated side tests, along with at least an “Acceptable” rating in the updated moderate overlap front test. They also need either a “Good” or “Acceptable” rating in the headlight and pedestrian front crash prevention tests.
Where 36 models got the Top Safety Pick+ rating, 12 more were rated a Top Safety Pick. That included eight SUVs.
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What models lost out – and why
To win an IIHS award, vehicles like the Toyota Camry also had to be able to prevent forward pedestrian collisions.
Significantly, there were no minicars, large cars, minivans or small pickups included in this year’s two awards categories. And only two pickups made the grade, the Rivian R1T and the Toyota Tundra.
“The new emphasis on back seat protection appears to have winnowed minivans and pickups from the winners’ ranks,” Harkey said. “That’s unfortunate, considering that minivans are marketed as family haulers and extended cab and crew cab pickups are often used for that purpose.”
This marked the first year that rear seat occupant protection was considered as a factor in the awards. It’s the latest factor worked into the IIHS equation. The trade group has routinely toughened its standards, most recently updating the moderate front overlap test in 2022. Over the years it has added headlights and front pedestrian collision avoidance to the checklist, as well.
Typically, new tests initially prove challenging for automakers to meet. But they tend to address such problems going forward. And IIHS is expecting similar improvements reflecting the new rear seat occupant test.
“There’s still progress to be made, but these results show that manufacturers are working hard to make their vehicles as safe for back seat passengers as they are for those up front,” Harkey said. “Consumers looking for a new vehicle offering the highest level of protection for their families should put these award winners at the top of their list.”
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