The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is raising the bar on vehicle safety for 2026, putting new pressure on automakers to better protect passengers, especially in the back seat.
The nonprofit, independent agency, dedicated to reducing deaths and injuries on the road, reached out to me this week to share that 63 models have earned top safety awards so far. That is up from 48 models at this time last year. The results also include 45 vehicles that earned the Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) and 18 that earned the Top Safety Pick (TSP).
A major change this year includes stricter crash avoidance requirements. Vehicles must now perform better at preventing pedestrian crashes and higher-speed collisions.
There is also a new test that evaluates how cars respond to other vehicles, motorcycles, and semi-trucks.
While safety is at the top of mind for consumers, so is price. David Harkey is the president of the IIHS and said many of the vehicles with high safety rating don’t have an extremely high price tag.
“There's a lot of discussion about the cost of a new vehicle these days with an average price of $50,000. The good news for consumers is you do not have to spend that much money to get a safe vehicle. More than a dozen top safety pick plus vehicles start at under $30,000. Safety does not have to be sacrificed for price,” he said.
According to IIHS, last year, vehicles needed a good rating in this 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.
Here are the 2026 award winners:
Small Cars
- Kia K4 (TSP+)
- Mazda 3 hatchback (TSP+)
- Mazda 3 sedan (TSP+)
- Nissan Sentra (TSP+)
- Honda Civic hatchback (TSP)
- Hyundai Elantra (TSP)
- Toyota Prius (TSP)
Midsize cars
- Hyundai Sonata (TSP+)
- Toyota Camry (TSP+)
- Honda Accord (TSP)
Midsize luxury car
- Audi A5 (TSP+)
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class (TSP)
Large luxury car
- 2027 Audi A6 Sportback e-tron (TSP+)
- Genesis G80 (built after June 2025) (TSP+)
Small SUVs
- Genesis GV60 (TSP+)
- Honda HR-V (TSP+)
- Hyundai Ioniq 5 (TSP+)
- Hyundai Kona (TSP+)
- Hyundai Tucson (TSP+)
- Kia Sportage (built after May 2025) (TSP+)
- Mazda CX-30 (TSP+)
- Mazda CX-50 (TSP+)
- Subaru Forester (TSP+)
Midsize SUVs
- Honda Passport (TSP+)
- Hyundai Ioniq 9 (TSP+)
- Hyundai Santa Fe (TSP+)
- Kia EV9 (TSP+)
- Kia Sorento (built after September 2025) (TSP+)
- Mazda CX-70 & Mazda CX-70 PHEV (TSP+)
- Mazda CX-90 (TSP+)
- Mazda CX-90 PHEV (TSP+)
- Nissan Murano (TSP+)
- Nissan Pathfinder (TSP+)
- Subaru Ascent (TSP+)
- Subaru Outback (TSP+)
- Buick Enclave (TSP)
- Ford Explorer (TSP)
- Ford Mustang Mach-E (TSP)
- Volkswagen Atlas (TSP)
- Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport (TSP)
Midsize luxury SUVs
- Audi Q5 (TSP+)
- Audi Q5 Sportback (TSP+)
- 2027 Audi Q6 e-tron (TSP+)
- 2027 Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron (TSP+)
- BMW X3 (TSP+)
- BMW X5 (TSP+)
- Genesis Electrified GV70 (TSP+)
- Genesis GV70 (TSP+)
- Genesis GV80 (TSP+)
- Infiniti QX60 (TSP+)
- Lexus NX (TSP+)
- Lincoln Nautilus (TSP)
- Mercedes-Benz GLC (TSP)
- Volvo XC90 (TSP)
- Volvo XC90 Plug-in Hybrid (TSP)
Large SUVs
- Rivian R1S (TSP+)
- Volvo EX90 (TSP+)
- Audi Q7 (TSP)
- Infiniti QX80 (TSP)
- Nissan Armada (TSP)
Large pickup
- Tesla Cybertruck (TSP+)
- Toyota Tundra crew cab (TSP)
Researchers at the IIHS say SUVs mostly dominate the list, while minivans and small pickups have some work to do when it comes to back seat protection.
Safety experts say the goal of these awards is to prevent crashes before they happen and save more lives on the road. If manufacturers are aiming keep with industry standards, and earn a top safety award, they will be incentivized to update vehicles.
“Improving crash avoidance is key to achieving our 30x30 vision of reducing U.S. crash deaths by 30% by 2030,” Harkey said. “Stronger structures and better seat belts save lives, but the safest crash is the one that never happens.”
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