A slew of “Top Safety Picks Plus” for the safety-minded
Recently, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced its annual Top Safety Pick awards. The list includes 2022 vehicles that earned the IIHS’s Top Safety Pick — or its highest designation, Top Safety Pick Plus. While some models have limited availability due to chip shortages and supply chain delays, the good news is that safety-minded car buyers, it’s reassuring to know that more vehicles made the list versus 2021. automakers made significant improvements in headlight quality — and to no one’s surprise — pickup trucks, minivans and electric vehicles all had a stronger showing.
Earning the coveted “Top Safety Pick Plus” Award
The IIHS carefully evaluates vehicle safety utilizing a standardized series of crash tests, headlight performance and forward crash prevention systems.
To earn a Top Safety Pick award, a vehicle must earn a score of “good” in six IIHS crashworthiness tests: driver-side small overlap, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength and head restraint tests. It must also have an available front crash prevention system that earns an advanced or superior rating in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluation, and at least one headlight system that earns a good or acceptable rating. The only distinguishing feature of a Top Safety Pick Plus model is that it has good- or acceptable-rated headlights standard across all trims.
As pickup trucks grow in popularity and sales, so does the number of those named Top Safety Picks in 2022. Last year, the Ram 1500 crew cab was the sole pickup truck to get an IIHS designation. This year, the Ram once again makes the list, along with the Ford F-150 (extended cab and crew cab} and surprisingly, the all-new Hyundai Santa Cruz.
Electric vehicle shoppers have more IIHS safety picks to choose from in 2022. All-electric models that earned a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick Plus include the Audi E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, and Volkswagen ID.4.
Here are the IIHS Top Safety Picks and Top Safety Picks Plus for 2022
2022 Models Earning IIHS Top Safety Pick
Audi: A4, A5 Sportback, Q8
BMW: 2 Series Gran Coupe, 3 Series, X5
Buick: Encore GX
Ford: Escape, Edge, Mustang Mach-E, F-150 (crew cab and extended cab)
Honda: CR-V
Hyundai: Elantra, Santa Cruz, Sonata, Venue
Kia: Sorento, Soul*, Sportage*, Telluride
Lexus: RX, UX
Lincoln: Aviator, Corsair, Nautilus
Mercedes-Benz: GLC-Class*
Nissan: Sentra
Ram: 1500 (crew cab)*
Subaru: Crosstrek*, Impreza hatchback*
Toyota: Avalon, C-HR, Venza
*Award applies to models equipped with optional front crash prevention technology
2022 Models Earning IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus
Acura: MDX, RDX, TLX
Audi: A6, A6 Allroad, A7, E-Tron, E-Tron Sportback, Q5, Q5 Sportback
Cadillac: XT6
Chevrolet: Trailblazer
Chrysler: Pacifica
Ford: Bronco Sport, Explorer
Genesis: G70 (examples built after June 2021), G80, G90, GV70, GV80
Honda: Accord, Civic (hatchback and sedan), Insight, Odyssey
Hyundai: Nexo, Palisade, Santa Fe, Tucson
Kia: K5, Stinger
Lexus: ES 350, IS
Mazda: Mazda3 (hatchback and sedan), CX-30, CX-5, CX-9
Mercedes-Benz: E-Class*, GLE-Class*
Mitsubishi: Outlander (examples built after June 2021)
Nissan: Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue
Subaru: Ascent, Crosstrek Hybrid, Legacy, Outback
Tesla: Model 3, Model Y
Toyota: Camry, Highlander, Sienna
Volkswagen: ID.4
Volvo: C40 Recharge, S60, S60 Recharge, V60 Cross Country, XC40, XC40 Recharge Twin, XC60, XC60 Recharge, XC90, XC90 Recharge
The MiamiCars.com Top Safety Picks In Popular Categories As voted by our readers.
