2021 Hyundai Elantra, Santa Fe Earn IIHS Top Safety Pick, Lower Trims Miss Out

Once regarded as a bargain brand, Hyundai has shaken up its lineup (and image) in the last few years. With new vehicles like the premium Palisade SUV, and efficient Sonata Hybrid sedan that comes with cutting-edge technology like Smart Park Assist, the automaker is quickly building a new reputation for itself.  Now, Hyundai is making waves in another category of concern to car shoppers: safety. The Elantra sedan and Santa Fe SUV join seven other 2021 Hyundai vehicles to be named Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Picks, though shoppers should beware that only top-tier trims are included in the designation. 

Related: Here’s Every Car That Earned an IIHS Top Safety Award for 2021

To qualify as a Top Safety Pick, the agency’s second highest award, a vehicle must earn good ratings for all six IIHS crashworthiness evaluations: driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. Vehicles must be available with a front crash prevention system that earns advanced or superior ratings in both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian tests and have good or acceptable-rated headlights. 

For the highest Top Safety Pick Plus award, good or acceptable headlights must be standard on all trim levels, which is where the Elantra and Santa Fe fell short.

2021 Hyundai Elantra

The top Limited trim of the 2021 Elantra is an IIHS Top Safety Pick. The compact sedan scored good ratings across the board in the crashworthiness category, but only the Limited model offers LED projector headlights that pass IIHS standards. Lower trims come with halogen headlights, which earned a poor rating.

The 2021 Elantra offers two front crash prevention systems that meet IIHS criteria. Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection is offered as part of a package on the SEL trim and is standard on Limited models. The standard automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection proved successful in avoiding collisions or slowing the vehicle in IIHS tests that simulate common pedestrian crashes.

2021 Hyundai Santa Fe

Like the Elantra, the 2021 Santa Fe earns good scores in all crashworthiness categories, but not every trim passed the Top Safety Pick criteria. Only the Limited and Calligraphy models are named Top Safety Picks thanks to good-rated LED projector headlights. Lower trims miss out on the award due to LED reflectors that earn poor or marginal scores. 

When it comes to preventing crashes, the advanced automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection comes standard on the 2021 Santa Fe. According IIHS, the system successfully avoided collisions in all vehicle-to-vehicle scenarios and all but one of the vehicle-to-pedestrian scenarios to earn a superior rating. 

All 2021 Hyundai IIHS Top Safety Picks

• Elantra
• Kona
• Nexo (Top Safety Pick Plus) 
• Palisade (Top Safety Pick Plus)
• Santa Fe
• Sonata
• Tucson
• Veloster
• Venue

Related Video: 2021 Hyundai Elantra Review

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