Car accidents happen. So it makes sense to put you and your family in a car that has the highest safety rating for its class.
Each year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the U.S. puts domestic and imported cars through crash tests that determine their ‘crashworthiness’ – or how well a vehicle protects its occupants in a collision. Since 2013, it also rates vehicles for front crash avoidance systems, which either warn drivers of an impending crash or automatically brakes to avoid or reduce the impact of a collision.
The vehicles that perform best in the crash are awarded one of the following designations:
- ‘TSP” rating (Top Safety Pick) – Awarded to vehicles that have earned ‘good’ ratings in five crashworthiness tests, including small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints — as well as a basic rating for front crash prevention.
- ‘TSP+’ rating (Top Safety Pick Plus) – Awarded to vehicles that have earned ‘good’ ratings in the five crashworthiness tests, and ‘advanced’ or ‘superior’ ratings for front crash prevention.
To make sure there is no misunderstanding, the IIHS includes the following statement on their website that clarifies how you should interpret the ratings:
“Models that earn TOP SAFETY PICK+ or TOP SAFETY PICK are the best vehicle choices for safety within size categories. Size and weight influence occupant protection in serious crashes. Larger, heavier vehicles generally afford more protection than smaller, lighter ones. Thus, a small car that’s a TOP SAFETY PICK+ or TOP SAFETY PICK doesn’t necessarily afford more protection than a bigger car that doesn’t earn the award.”
Without further ado, here are the vehicles in each category that received the Top Safety Pick + ratings from the IIHS:
MIDSIZE CAR
- Chrysler 200
- Honda Accord (2-door coupe)
- Honda Accord (4-door sedan)
- Mazda 6
- Nissan Maxima
- Subaru Legacy
- Subaru Outback
- Toyota Camry
- Toyota Prius v
- Volkswagen Jetta
- Volkswagen Passat
MIDSIZE LUXURY CAR
- Audi A3
- BMW 2 Series
- Lexus ES
- Volvo S60
- Volvo V60
MIDSIZE LUXURY SUV
- Acura MDX
- Acura RDX
- Audi Q5
- Lexus NX
- Volvo XC60
- Volvo XC90
MIDSIZE SUV
- Honda Pilot
- Nissan Murano
MINICAR
- Scion iA
SMALL CAR
- Acura ILX
- Lexus CT200h
- Mazda 3
- Subaru Crosstrek
- Subaru Impreza
- Subaru WRX
- Volkswagen Golf (4-door, SportWagen)
- Volkswagen GTI (4-door)
SMALL SUV
- Fiat 500X (built after July 2015)
- Honda CR-V
- Hyundai Tucson
- Mazda CX-5
- Mitsubishi Outlander
- Subaru Forester
- Toyota RAV4