Vehicles must now meet more stringent requirements to earn the safety group’s Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ designations
The Genesis Electrified GV70 earned a IIHS Top Safety Pick+ designation for 2024.
By Keith Barry
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety added new requirements for vehicles to earn its Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ designations in 2024, including new performance criteria for rear-seat passenger and pedestrian protection. As a result, far fewer vehicles earn the Top Safety Pick+ ranking this year compared with last year, but the cars on this year’s list are safer than ever.
For 2024, the majority of winners are small and midsized SUVs. Few cars and pickup trucks received the designations this year, which IIHS president David Harkey attributes to the dominance of SUVs on the market today. Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis—which share corporate ownership—have the most awards overall. Toyota and Lexus come in second, and Mazda is third.
This year, in order to earn Top Safety Pick+, vehicles must score Acceptable or Good in an updated moderate front overlap crash test, which adds a dummy in the seat behind the driver to evaluate rear-seat crash protection. The test mimics what happens if a vehicle crosses a center line and 40 percent of its front end hits a similarly sized oncoming car at 40 mph. Vehicles must also score as Good in an updated side crash test introduced in 2021.
The IIHS, which is funded by the insurance industry, has tested automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection since 2019. However, in another change to its award requirements, this is the first year that a vehicle must score Acceptable or Good for its combined performance in both daylight and dark conditions to earn Top Safety Pick status—last year, a car could earn Top Safety Pick on daytime performance alone. According to the IIHS, the change is part of a newfound focus on the safety of all road users—not just those inside the car.
The 2025 Toyota Camry, shown here after facing the moderate overlap front crash test, earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating.
Photo: IIHS
“There’s still progress to be made in the protection that vehicles provide for their occupants, as the introduction of the updated moderate overlap test shows,” Harkey said in a statement. “But many of the biggest gains of the future will come from automakers and policymakers, along with all of us as car buyers and drivers, taking steps to protect everyone on the road, not just our own families.”
As always, vehicles must protect occupants in driver- and passenger-side small-overlap front crash tests. These tests mimic a crash with a tree, a telephone pole, or the front corner of an oncoming car. Vehicles must also have high-performing headlights across trim lines.
The IIHS says it will continue to announce award winners as it completes testing, and that more vehicles will likely be added to both the Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ lists as automakers implement changes to improve their performance in the updated moderate overlap crash test.
Adapting these coveted ratings to include tests and technologies that reflect where and how people are killed and injured makes vehicles safer over time, says Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center. “Each iteration means the next step in identifying cars that provide the highest levels of safety, a key element for consumers when choosing a vehicle for themselves and their families,” she says. That’s true for those both in and out of the vehicle.
Rear-seat safety is especially important, says Emily A. Thomas, PhD, auto safety manager at Consumer Reports. But safety advances for front passengers have outpaced those for the back seat. “Consumer Reports has been rewarding manufacturers for including advanced safety technology in the rear seat since 2021, and the IIHS ratings are evaluating the implementation of these safety systems,” she says. “Together, both programs are pushing safety forward for back-seat passengers.”
The Tesla Model Y is among several electric cars that earn a Top Safety Pick+ rating.
Photo: Tesla
2024 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Winners
Small Cars
Acura Integra
Honda Civic sedan (2025)
Mazda 3 hatchback and sedan
Toyota Prius
Midsized Cars
Honda Accord
Hyundai Ioniq 6
Toyota Camry (2025)
Large Luxury Car
Genesis Electrified G80
Genesis G80 (built after October 2023)
Genesis G90 (built after October 2023)
Small SUVs
Genesis GV60
Honda HR-V
Hyundai Kona
Hyundai Tucson (built after March 2024)
Mazda CX-30
Mazda CX-50 (built after August 2023)
Subaru Solterra
Midsized SUVs
Ford Explorer
Honda Pilot (2025 model year)
Kia Telluride
Mazda CX-90
Nissan Pathfinder (built after November 2023)
Subaru Ascent
Luxury SUVs
Acura MDX
BMW X3
BMW X5
Genesis Electrified GV70
Genesis GV70 (2025)
Genesis GV80 (built after August 2023)
Lexus NX
Mercedes-Benz GLE Class (with optional front crash prevention)
Tesla Model Y
Volvo XC90
2024 IIHS Top Safety Pick Winners
Small Cars
Honda Civic hatchback (2025)
Hyundai Elantra
Subaru Impreza
Subaru WRX
Toyota Prius Prime
Midsized Cars
Hyundai Sonata
Subaru Outback
Toyota Camry
Large Car
Toyota Crown
Midsized Luxury Cars
BMW 5 Series
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Large Luxury Cars
Genesis G80 (built before November 2023)
Genesis G90 (built before November 2023)
Small SUVs
BMW X1
Honda CR-V
Hyundai Ioniq 5
Hyundai Tucson
Kia Sportage
Lexus UX
Lexus RZ
Mini Countryman
Midsized SUVs
Honda Pilot
Hyundai Palisade
Hyundai Santa Fe
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Jeep Grand Cherokee L
Kia EV9
Mazda CX-90 PHEV
Nissan Ariya
Toyota Highlander
Volkswagen Atlas
Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport
Volkswagen ID.4
Large SUVs
Jeep Wagoneer
Small Pickup Truck
Toyota Tacoma
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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2024, Consumer Reports, Inc.
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