These Are The 22 Safest Vehicles You Can Buy

The ante has been upped.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released its annual automobile safety rankings for 2024, which uses tougher criteria than before.

The side-impact test features a heavier barrier slamming into the vehicle at a higher speed, the automatic emergency braking evaluation puts more weight on nighttime pedestrian detection, and the moderate front overlap test takes rear seat passenger safety into account.

Good or acceptable headlights across all trims of a model lineup are also required to be awarded a Top Safety Pick+ or Top Safety Pick designation.

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As a result, only 22 vehicles received a Top Safety Pick+ award and 49 a Top Safety Pick award.

Hyundai Motor Group (Hyundai, Kia and Genesis) led the way with six vehicles at the Top Safety Pick+ level and 16 Top Safety Picks.

Toyota Motor Corp. (Toyota and Lexus) was second among automakers with one Top Safety Pick+ and 12 Top Safety Picks.

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The small, midsize and midsize luxury SUV classes led the way with five Top Safety Pick+ awards each.

“The high number of SUVs that earn awards probably reflects the dominance of those vehicles in the U.S. market,” IIHS President David Harkey said in a press release.

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“But it’s disappointing that only four pickups and four midsize cars earn awards, considering the popularity of those classes.”

Here are the full lists of Top Safety Pick+ and Top Safety Pick vehicles for 2024:

Top Safety Pick+

Small cars:

Acura Integra

Mazda 3 hatchback

Mazda 3 sedan

Toyota Prius

Midsize cars:

Honda Accord

Hyundai Ioniq 6

Large luxury car:

Genesis Electrified G80

Small SUVs:

Genesis GV60

Honda HR-V

Hyundai Kona

Mazda CX-30

Mazda CX-50 (built after August 2023)

Midsize SUVs:

Ford Explorer

Kia Telluride

Mazda CX-90

Nissan Pathfinder

2023 Subaru Ascent

Midsize Luxury SUVs:

Acura MDX

BMW X3

Genesis GV80 (built after August 2023)

Mercedes-Benz GLE Class (with optional front crash prevention)

Tesla Model Y

Top Safety Pick

Small cars:

Hyundai Elantra

Subaru Impreza

Toyota Prius Prime

Midsize cars:

Subaru Outback

Toyota Camry

Large car:

Toyota Crown

Midsize luxury cars:

BMW 5 series

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Large luxury cars:

Genesis G80

Genesis G90

Small SUVs:

BMW X1

Honda CR-V

Hyundai Ioniq 5

Hyundai Tucson

Kia Sportage

Lexus UX

Lexus RZ

Subaru Solterra

Midsize SUVs

Honda Pilot

Hyundai Palisade

Jeep Grand Cherokee

Jeep Grand Cherokee L

Mazda CX-90 PHEV

Nissan Ariya

Toyota Highlander

Volkswagen Atlas

Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

Large SUVs:

Audi Q7

Audi Q8 e-tron

Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron

Rivian R1S

Midsize luxury SUVs:

Acura RDX

Audi Q4 e-tron

Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron

Genesis Electrified GV70

Genesis GV70 (built after November 2023)

Infiniti QX60

Lexus NX

Lexus NX Plug-in Hybrid

Lexus RX

Mercedes-Benz GLC

Volvo XC90

Volvo XC90 Recharge

Minivans:

Honda Odyssey

Toyota Sienna

Small pickup:

Hyundai Santa Cruz

Large pickups:

Rivian R1T crew cab

Toyota Tundra crew cab

Toyota Tundra extended cab