Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.Safety is one of the few categories in a vehicle comparison where independent data can settle the question rather than leaving it to preference. The Lexus NX and Acura RDX are two of the most popular compact luxury SUVs in the United States, and both have historically performed well in crash testing. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or IIHS, has tightened its standards considerably in recent years, adding a tougher moderate overlap test that emphasizes rear-passenger protection. Under those updated criteria, the two SUVs no longer rate the same.2025-2026 Lexus NX 350 F SportLexusIIHS crash-test resultsFor the 2026 model year, the Lexus NX earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, the institute's highest designation. To qualify, it needed Good ratings in both the small-overlap front and updated side crash tests, a Good rating in the updated moderate-overlap front test that now includes a second dummy seated behind the driver, acceptable or good headlights across all trims, and an acceptable or good pedestrian front crash prevention rating. The NX met all of those requirements, placing it among the safest vehicles in its class under the most demanding standards the IIHS currently applies.2026 Acura RDXAcuraBy contrast, the Acura RDX does not appear on the current IIHS Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ list. It is worth being precise here, because Acura's smaller ADX did earn the lower-tier Top Safety Pick award in late 2025, but the RDX itself has not been recognized under the latest criteria. That absence does not mean the RDX is unsafe, since it performed well under older standards and earned a Top Safety Pick designation in previous years. It does mean that, as of the most recent testing, the RDX lacks the current top-tier verification the NX holds, which is the distinction that decides this comparison.NHTSA ratingsThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a separate federal testing body, uses a five-star system that evaluates frontal, side, and rollover crash performance. The Acura RDX has historically performed strongly here, earning five-star overall ratings across its recent model years, which reflects solid occupant protection in the federal government's battery of tests. For buyers who weigh the NHTSA system heavily, the RDX has a genuine and well-established record.2026 Lexus NX 350LexusThe Lexus NX has also earned a five-star NHTSA overall rating in recent years, matching the RDX in the federal evaluations. Because both perform well under NHTSA, that agency's results do not distinguish between the two vehicles as the IIHS data does. The two testing organizations use different methods, and the IIHS tests, particularly the updated moderate- and small-overlap evaluations, are the more stringent of the two. When the federal results are even, and the tougher independent results favor one vehicle, the independent results carry the deciding weight.Standard safety featuresBoth SUVs come well-equipped with driver-assistance technology, and neither makes safety features a higher-trim upgrade. The Lexus NX includes the Lexus Safety System+ suite as standard, covering automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, lane-departure alert, adaptive cruise control, and road-sign recognition. For 2025 and later, all NX models also added standard parking sensors with automatic braking, which extends protection to low-speed maneuvers where minor collisions commonly occur.2026 Acura RDXAcuraAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Acura RDX matches that breadth with the standard AcuraWatch suite, which includes a collision mitigation braking system, lane-keeping assist, road departure mitigation and adaptive cruise control. Standard all-wheel drive across the RDX lineup adds a measure of active safety in poor weather that contributes to accident avoidance, which is a genuine point in its favor. In terms of the equipment each vehicle brings to help prevent a crash, the two are closely matched, which is why the comparison comes down to how each performs when a crash actually happens.So which is safest?The Lexus NX. The data leaves little room for debate. For the 2026 model year, the NX holds the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, the highest designation the institute offers, earned under crash tests that specifically scrutinize rear-passenger protection. The Acura RDX, while strong under NHTSA testing and a past IIHS award winner, does not currently hold a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ designation under the latest, tougher criteria. Both are safe vehicles, and a buyer in either is well protected. But "which is safest" is a question with a measurable answer, and the most current crash-test data points to the NX.This story was originally published by Autoblog on Jun 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the Car Buying section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.