Today’s newest vehicles are, on the whole, safer than ever and even as it tightens its standards, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found 63 new models earning Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ ratings – up from 48 last year. Still, IIHS says automakers can yet improve their crash technology. More from Headlight.News.
The 2026 Honda Passport took a Top Safety Pick+ award.
For decades, went the old industry mantra, “safety doesn’t sell.” Try to tell that to today’s consumers. If anything, safety has become one of the top purchase factors for most motorists, whether they’re looking for a family hauler or high-performance sports car.
The good news: today’s vehicles are safer than ever, blending improved design and the introduction of new passive and active safety systems. That’s reflected in the latest annual round-up by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety which reveals 63 separate models this year earned either Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ awards. That’s up from 48 a year ago.
That said, the IIHS cautioned there is still plenty of room for improvement, especially when it comes to backseat passengers. Surprisingly, not a single minivan earned one of those top ratings this year, news that’s likely come as a shock for family buyers.
What’s new
With a base price less than $23,000, the Kia K4 was the most affordable Top Safety Pick+ award winner.
A record number of vehicles earned IIHS’s Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ awards this year. That’s all the more impressive considering the tougher test standards the industry trade group put in place. “Last year,” it explained in a summary of the latest results, “vehicles needed a good rating in (the moderate overlap front) test to earn TOP SAFETY PICK+ but only an acceptable rating to earn TOP SAFETY PICK. For 2026, a good rating is required for either award.” IIHS now also requires that front crash systems be standard in a vehicle line to earn those awards.
Even so, the number of models that qualified for top ratings this year went up substantially. Of the 63 total, 18 earned Top Safety Pick awards, 45 qualifying for tougher Top Safety Pick+ honors.
While there were plenty of high-end products on the list, IIHS officials noted there were also some surprisingly affordable options. The Kia K4 was the lowest-priced option on the Top Safety Pick+ list, starting at just $22,290. And another dozen winners start under $30,000.
Winners and losers
Not a single minivan won Pick or Pick+ awards, including the Chrysler Pacifica shown here.
SUVs dominated the results this year, winning a collective 47 of the 63 awards – 12 Pick and 35 Pick+ honorees.
Only two large pickups wound up on the list, the Tesla Cybertruck and Toyota Tundra Crew Cab. Not a single smaller pickup can be found on the latest list of winners, nor any minicars. But considering the sort of buyer base, the big shock was the lack of a single minivan.
“It’s disappointing that minivans continue to struggle to provide the best-available protection for passengers in the back, considering that these are supposed to be family vehicles,” IIHS Pres. David Harkey said. “Based on these results, parents may want to consider some of the more affordable sedans and SUVs that earn awards.”
Another surprise: only four products from the Detroit Big Three automakers collectively earned Pick+ awards, another four on the Pick list. Japan’s Mazda placed four models on the Pick+ list, Volvo landing four amongst the Pick models.
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Toughening the rules
A Volvo XC90 Recharge undergoes an IIHS crash test.
IIHS routinely upgrades its requirements and while it has no authority to require manufacturers adopt its guidelines, the high visibility of the group’s test results have significant weight when it comes to what manufacturers do.
“This year, we’re asking automakers to make excellent protection for back seat passengers the norm,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “For TOP SAFETY PICK+, we’re requiring crash avoidance systems that are better at preventing pedestrian crashes as well as higher speed crashes with other vehicles.”
The increasing focus on crash avoidance systems is key to the IIHS “30×30 vision” plan calling for a 30% reduction in crash deaths by 2030. “Stronger structures and better seat belts save lives, but the safest crash is the one that never happens,” said Harkey.
Here are the winners of this year’s IIHS Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards:
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