2018 Kia Sedona Earns Top Safety Pick Badge

Kia unveiled an updated 2019 Sedona last month at the 2018 New York International Auto Show, but the 2018 model continues to appeal. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced that the minivan qualifies for its Top Safety Pick award when equipped with two optional features: a front crash prevention system and uplevel headlights.

Related: IIHS Toughens Up Crash-Test Standards for 2018

The Sedona earned a good rating in the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. Its optional automatic braking system also scored a superior rating for front crash prevention. According to IIHS, the minivan automatically avoided a crash during tests at 12 mph and 25 mph.

Lastly, model-year 2018 Sedonas built after May 2017 and equipped with the optional high-intensity discharge, curve-adaptive headlights earned a good rating. IIHS notes that the system comes with a helpful high-beam assist function, which automatically switches between high beams and low beams depending on oncoming traffic.

The standard headlights receive a poor rating. IIHS said the lights provide inadequate visibility in some scenarios, as well as produce excessive glare for drivers of oncoming vehicles.

To qualify for IIHS’s highest award, Top Safety Pick Plus, the Sedona would also have to earn an acceptable or good rating in the agency’s new front passenger-side small overlap test; the Sedona has not yet been tested.

One main competitor, the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica, is also a Top Safety Pick. Another, the 2018 Toyota Sienna, is not.

Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.