Here’s Every Car That Earned an IIHS Top Safety Award for 2022

As safety remains a top priority for many car shoppers, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has announced its annual Top Safety Pick awards. The list breaks down all model-year 2022 vehicles that earned either the agency’s Top Safety Pick or its highest designation, Top Safety Pick Plus. There’s no shortage of promising news for safety-minded shoppers in the 2022 results: More vehicles made the list versus 2021, automakers made significant strides in headlight quality, and pickup trucks, minivans and electric vehicles all had a stronger showing.

Related: IIHS Toughens Up Crash Tests; Many SUVs Fail

IIHS evaluates vehicle safety based on a series of crash tests, headlight performance and front crash prevention systems. Although the fitment of child-safety seats is also measured, this category does not impact a vehicle’s award eligibility. Testing criteria did not change from the 2021 evaluation.

More Top Safety Picks on the Road

For 2022, a total of 101 vehicles earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick Plus award, which is up 12% over 2021, when 90 vehicles made the list. Of those, 65 models nabbed the most coveted Top Safety Pick Plus designation compared to 49 a year prior, a 33% increase. According to IIHS, headlight improvements and standard front crash prevention systems boosted more vehicles into Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick Plus contention.

Which Brands Dominated the Safety Charts?

This year, Hyundai Motor Group — which includes Genesis, Hyundai and Kia — walked away with a total of 21 vehicle awards,the highest of any automaker. Volkswagen Group (including Audi and VW) earned 11 total vehicle awards and Volvo earned 10.

Meanwhile, Mitsubishi’s only awarded vehicle was the Outlander and GM had just three vehicle awards across its Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC brands. Stellantis, parent company to Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep and Ram, only had two vehicles make the grade — the Ram 1500 crew-cab pickup and Chrysler Pacifica minivan. No Jeep models earned a Top Safety Pick designation for 2022.

Safer Minivans and Pickups

Families looking for a safe family hauler will find more minivan options on IIHS’ list for 2022: All four new minivans currently on the market — the Pacifica, Honda Odyssey, Kia Carnival and Toyota Sienna — earned a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick Plus award. In 2021, only the Odyssey and Sienna ranked.

As the popularity of pickup trucks grows, so does the number of those named Top Safety Picks in 2022. In 2021, 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 the all-new Hyundai Santa Cruz.

More Electrified Safety Picks

Electric vehicle shoppers are yet another group that will have more IIHS safety picks to choose from in 2022. All-electric models that earned a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick Plus designation include the Audi E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model 3 and Model Y (the latter Cars.com’s inaugural Best Electric Vehicle Award winner), and Volkswagen ID.4.

Below are all of the 2022 IIHS Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick Plus designees listed by automaker:

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 (examples built after July 2021), 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

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: Carnival (examples built after March 2021), Seltos, 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

The Makings of an IIHS Award Winner

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.

Not All Variants Make the Cut

It’s important to note that not every version of a vehicle may qualify for  the Top Safety Pick awards even if the nameplate is listed above. For example, vehicles may only qualify if they are equipped with front crash prevention; lower trims that don’t offer the technology would not qualify for the designation. Another stipulation is that certain vehicles will only qualify if they were built after a specific date.

What Changes for 2023?

IIHS plans to make a handful of updates for its 2023 Top Safety Pick criteria. A new side-impact test uses a heavier moving barrier and faster speed to better simulate the increasing size of SUVs on the road. A Top Safety Pick designation will require a good or acceptable rating for the test, and a good rating will be required for a Plus designation. A preliminary test of 2020 and 2021 models showed automakers have a lot of improvements to make in this category: Only one of 20 SUVs tested (the 2021 Mazda CX-5) earned a good rating.

A nighttime pedestrian crash test for front crash prevention systems will also be added for 2023, with an advanced or superior rating requirement for a Top Safety Pick Plus designation, but Top Safety Pick designations will not factor in this test. And finally, only vehicles with standard good or acceptable headlights across all trims and packages will qualify for the Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick Plus awards for 2023.

More From Cars.com:

• Good Headlights Reduce Crashes by 19%, Says IIHS Study
• Not a Shot in the Dark: 11 Cars Improve IIHS Headlight Safety Ratings
• 2022 Hyundai Tucson Clinches Top IIHS Safety Rating
• Which Cars Have Self-Driving Features for 2021?
• More Safety News

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