Subaru Forester and Rivian R1 win IIHS Top Safety Picks

The IIHS said 19 new models earned Top Safety Pick awards at the end of the year. These include electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and gasoline-powered vehicles. There are also trucks, SUVs, and compact cars. Let’s take a deeper look at the tests and who won what.

Top Safety Pick awards are given to cars that earn “Good” ratings in the IIHS’s small-overlap front, moderate-overlap front and updated side crash tests. Additionally, they need to earn a “good” or “acceptable” rating in all trims and pedestrian front crash prevention.

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To this end, the nine models that received the Top Safety Pick award are the Audi Q8, Ford F-150 Crew Cab, Ford F-150 Extended Cab, Infiniti QX80, Kia K4, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class , Nissan Kicks, Toyota Corolla sedan and Toyota Crown Signia. It is worth noting that some may graduate to the next class in the near future. That’s because most vehicles haven’t been put through the IIHS’s updated moderate-overlap front crash test. If they succeed in doing so, they could end up winning a Top Safety Pick+ award.

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Updated test scores are what separate regular winners from “Plus” winners. In other words, the 10 models that received the higher-level “Top Safety Pick+” award are Ford Mustang Mach-E, Infiniti QX60, Mazda CX-70, Mazda CX-70 PHEV, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz GLC, Rivian R1S, Subaru Forester, Toyota Tundra crew cab and Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrid. There are currently 56 Top Safety Pick award winners for the 2024 model year.

Interestingly, the IIHS said two cars missed out on the award because they each failed to meet just one criterion. The Cadillac Lyriq received a “Poor” rating for headlight performance. The Ford Bronco Sport received only an “Acceptable” rating in the updated side-impact crash test. Both scores disqualify these cars from receiving Top Safety Pick awards.

It should be noted that brands sometimes change during the year. For example, the Ford Mustang Mach-E is only eligible for the Top Safety Pick+ award if it is built after August 2024. If these ratings heavily influence your purchasing decision, be sure to consider which trims or build dates actually apply to the winner in question.