One SUV and one hybrid sedan qualified for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick+ designation — the highest award from the insurance industry group — in the latest round of testing.
The Hyundai Palisade and Toyota Prius were the only two vehicles out of 14 tested to qualify for Top Safety Pick+ designation, IIHS said. The results come after IIHS said SUVs made up 35 of the 45 winners for the group’s last round of Top Safety Pick+ designations earlier this year, in the latest sign of the United States auto market shift to larger vehicles.
“To qualify for either award this year, vehicles need good ratings in the moderate overlap front, small overlap front and side crash tests and acceptable- or good-rated headlights across all trim levels,” IIHS said.
“For Top Safety Pick, the only other requirement is an acceptable or good rating in the pedestrian front crash test,” IIHS said. “To earn the ‘plus,’ vehicles need a good rating in that evaluation as well as an acceptable or good rating in the updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluation that was introduced last year.”
IIHS has said it would like to see carmakers improve safety across all types of vehicles. “This year, we’re asking automakers to make excellent protection for back seat passengers the norm,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “For TOP SAFETY PICK+, we’re requiring crash avoidance systems that are better at preventing pedestrian crashes as well as higher speed crashes with other vehicles.”
Hyundai Palisade
MSRP: $38,935 | IIHS Rating: Top Safety Pick+
Cole Stutz, chief safety officer at Hyundai Motor North America, said the designation “reflects a significant achievement for the company’s engineering and product development teams” and “underscores Hyundai’s ongoing dedication to upholding the highest safety standards within the automotive industry.”
Toyota Prius
MSRP: $28,550 | IIHS Rating: Top Safety Pick+
Toyota noted in a press release that the Prius “was nothing short of a revolution” when it first arrived in the U.S. market and has evolved into “a striking embodiment of sportiness and aggression” in its 2026 form.
Which Cars Missed the Cut?
The following vehicles were tested but did not earn either Top Safety Pick designation:
2026 Audi A3 sedan
2026 BMW 3 Series
2026 BMW i4
2026 Chevrolet Equinox
2026 Ford Maverick crew cab
2026 Ford Ranger crew cab
2026 Honda Ridgeline small crew cab
2026 Kia K4 hatchback
2026 Jeep Compass
2026 Nissan Frontier crew cab
2026 Toyota 4Runner
2026 Toyota Corolla sedan
2026 Toyota Land Cruiser
2026 Toyota Sequoia
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY.
