The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced today that it is awarding its 2022 Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards to 101 vehicles. That’s an increase over last year’s total of 90 winners, a feat the institute attributes to improving headlight technology.
Of the 101 top safety award winners, 65 earned the highest possible rating, a Top Safety Pick+, as compared to the 49 vehicles that earned the rating last year.
“We’re excited to see more vehicles on this list in 2022,” says IIHS President David Harkey. “Our awards make it easy for car buyers to find models that will protect them in a crash and increase the odds they’ll never be in one. By shooting for TOP SAFETY PICK+, automakers are showing that they’re committed to the same goal.”
The full list of winners can be found below, but the Hyundai Motor Group earned the most awards this year, with 11 vehicles getting the Top Safety Pick+ rating and another 10 earning the Top Safety Pick award. The Volkswagen Group earned three Top Safety Pick awards and another eight pluses, while Volvo had an impressive showing with 10 Top Safety Pick+ awards.
The Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Pacifica, and Kia Carnival, meanwhile, all earned the a Top Safety Pick+ rating, which compares favorably to last year, when only two minivans qualified for the safety awards. Pickup trucks also have been improving.
Last year, the Ram 1500 was the only truck eligible for either award, but this year there are four: the Ram 1500 crew cab, Hyundai Santa Cruz, and the Ford F-150 extended cab and crew cab.
All 101 winners had to earn “good” ratings in six IIHS crash tests and had to be available with front crash prevention systems that earn “advanced” or “superior” ratings in both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian tests. Moreover, one headlight system in the range must earn a “good” or “acceptable” rating. Those vehicles that earned a Top Safety Pick+ award, meanwhile, also had to have “good” or “acceptable” headlights as standard across all trims.
Indeed, improving headlights were among the biggest differences between this year’s class of vehicles and last year’s, the IIHS reports. Automakers also made their crash-prevention systems standard on more models, which helped.
The institute warns that next year’s crop of Top Safety award winners may shrink, as it is adding some tests to address issues that continue to present dangers for drivers and pedestrians. An updated side crash test means it will be harder to pass, while a nighttime pedestrian crash prevention test seeks to save more pedestrian lives. Finally, only vehicles that come standard with “good” or “acceptable” headlights across all trims will be eligible for either top safety award.
“Manufacturers deserve congratulations for the steady improvements they’ve made since we last updated our award requirements, but with U.S. traffic fatalities expected to exceed 40,000 people in 2021, it’s no time for anybody to rest on their laurels,” says Harkey. “The high number of TOP SAFETY PICK+ winners shows that it’s time to push for additional changes.”
The Top Safety Pick+ winners are:
Small cars Honda Civic hatchback Honda Civic sedan Honda Insight Mazda 3 hatchback Mazda 3 sedan
Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid
Midsize cars Honda Accord Kia K5 Nissan Altima Nissan Maxima Subaru Legacy Subaru Outback
Toyota Camry
Midsize luxury cars Acura TLX Lexus ES 350 Lexus IS Tesla Model 3 Volvo S60 Volvo S60 Recharge
Volvo V60 Cross Country
Large cars
Kia Stinger
Large luxury cars Audi A6 Audi A6 Allroad Audi A7 Genesis G70 built after June 2021 Genesis G80 Genesis G90
Mercedes-Benz E-Class with optional front crash prevention
Small SUVs Chevrolet Trailblazer Ford Bronco Sport Hyundai Tucson Mazda CX-5 Mazda CX-30 Mitsubishi Outlander built after June 2021 Nissan Rogue Volvo C40 Recharge Volvo XC40
Volvo XC40 Recharge
Midsize SUVs Ford Explorer Hyundai Palisade Hyundai Santa Fe built after July 2021 Mazda CX-9 Nissan Murano Subaru Ascent Toyota Highlander
Volkswagen ID.4
Midsize luxury SUVs Acura MDX Acura RDX Audi Q5 Audi Q5 Sportback Cadillac XT6 Genesis GV70 Genesis GV80 Hyundai Nexo Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class with optional front crash prevention Tesla Model Y Volvo XC60 Volvo XC60 Recharge Volvo XC90
Volvo XC90 Recharge
Large SUVs Audi e-tron
Audi e-tron Sportback
Minivans Chrysler Pacifica Honda Odyssey
Toyota Sienna
The Top Safety Pick Winners are:
Small cars Hyundai Elantra Kia Soul with optional front crash prevention Nissan Sentra Subaru Crosstrek with optional front crash prevention
Subaru Impreza hatchback with optional front crash prevention
Midsize cars Hyundai Sonata Midsize luxury cars Audi A4 Audi A5 Sportback BMW 2 series Gran Coupe
BMW 3 series
Large cars
Toyota Avalon
Small SUVs Buick Encore GX Ford Escape Honda CR-V Hyundai Venue Kia Seltos Kia Sportage with optional front crash prevention Lexus UX Lincoln Corsair Toyota C-HR
Toyota Venza
Midsize SUVs Ford Edge Ford Mustang Mach-E Kia Sorento
Kia Telluride
Midsize luxury SUVs BMW X5 Lexus RX Lincoln Aviator Lincoln Nautilus
Mercedes-Benz GLC with optional front crash prevention
Large SUVs
Audi Q8
Minivans Kia Carnival, built after March 2021 Small pickups
Hyundai Santa Cruz
Large pickups Ford F-150 crew cab Ford F-150 extended cab
Ram 1500 crew cab with optional front crash prevention
Keyword: Number Of Vehicles That Earn IIHS Top Safety Ratings Grows As Automakers Improve Headlights