How Safe Is the 2027 Kia Telluride?
What Car Shoppers Need to Know
- The 2027 Kia Telluride qualifies for an Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick+ award, the agency’s highest honor.
- The Telluride joins several mid-size three-row SUVs that also earn the award.
- Not all 2027 Tellurides qualify for the award, though.
The redesigned Kia Telluride is better than ever, and now we know that it’s also very safe, earning a Top Safety Pick+ award in recent IIHS testing. There’s a small catch, though, as the award only applies to Tellurides built after June 2026 thanks to a switch to better standard headlights.
Related: Just How Much Does the 2027 Kia Telluride Look Like a Range Rover?
Top Safety Pick, Explained
IIHS subjects vehicles to three crash tests and evaluates them for how well their headlights light up dark roads, as well as how well their forward collision warning systems help the subject vehicle avoid or mitigate the effect of crashes with both other vehicles and pedestrians. Each test is scored on a scale of good, acceptable, marginal or poor; guess which is best and which is worst.
Vehicles can qualify for no award or earn one of two awards from IIHS. The base award is called Top Safety Pick, and the top honor is called Top Safety Pick+. To qualify as a TSP, a vehicle must post a good score in each of the three crash tests and earn an acceptable or good rating in the headlight and pedestrian avoidance tests. Qualifying for the TSP+ award is even more strict: The criteria for the pedestrian avoidance test moves up to a good score, and the vehicle must also get an acceptable score in the vehicle-to-vehicle collision avoidance test.
Only These Tellurides Qualify
The Telluride earned the top honor, TSP+. However, not all 2027 Tellurides qualify. The score for the standard headlights on Tellurides built before June 2026 was marginal, which would have prevented the Telluride from earning any award. Thereafter, though, Kia upgraded the headlights to earn a good score.
Note that in the tables below, “NT” means a vehicle was not tested in that category and a slash indicates split results across different equipment.
2027 Kia Telluride IIHS Crash-Test Scores
| Award | Small Overlap Front | Moderate Overlap Front | Side | Headlights | Front Crash Prevention: Vehicle-to-Vehicle | Front Crash Prevention: Pedestrian |
| TSP+ | G | G | G | G | G | G |
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Crashworthiness
IIHS performs small front overlap and moderate front overlap crash tests. The small front overlap test approximates the forces incurred when a vehicle traveling at 40 mph runs off the road and hits a tree or pole. The subject vehicle hits a rigid barrier that covers 25% of the width of its front end.
The moderate overlap front test recreates a crash in which a vehicle crosses the road centerline and hits an oncoming vehicle head-on. In this test, the subject vehicle rams a barrier that covers more of the front end, 40%. The barrier has a deformable honeycomb facing that recreates the forces of a crash in which both vehicles are traveling just below 40 mph. This test measures possible injuries on crash-test dummies belted into the driver’s seat and the seat behind the driver.
The side-impact test simulates a T-bone collision. The subject vehicle is stationary and is hit by a sled traveling 37 mph. The sled weighs as much as a modern SUV and is positioned at the approximate height of one, as well. Dummies are belted into the driver’s seat and behind the driver, and the sled hits the vehicle in the driver’s side.
Related Video: The 2027 Kia Telluride X-Pro: RIP V-6, Hello Turbo!
Crash Avoidance and Mitigation
For its vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention rating, IIHS measures how well the subject vehicle can detect and avoid pedestrians in three scenarios: a child crossing the road in the daytime, an adult crossing the road at night and an adult walking at night along the road’s shoulder in the direction of travel. The tests are conducted at multiple speeds and with the high beams on and off.
The vehicle-to-vehicle evaluation determines how quickly the front crash prevention system detects and warns the driver of hazards, as well as how much the vehicle slows down or if it stops to mitigate a collision or prevent it completely. Again, these tests are performed at multiple speeds, and the subject vehicle encounters three types of other vehicles: a car, a motorcycle and a semi trailer. The motorcycle and car tests are performed with the obstacle vehicle in the center of the lane and with it offset to either side.
The 2027 Telluride’s standard safety features include:
- Blind spot monitoring system
- Forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian/cyclist detection
- Lane departure warning
- Lane departure steering assist
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist
- Rear occupant alert for second and third rows
Versus Competitors
Mid-size three-row SUVs are family vehicles, so safety is a major concern for buyers. Among the Telluride’s main competitors, five others score as well, earning TSP+ honors. Another earns the TSP award. Two are laggards that don’t earn an award. Check out the list below.
| Model | IIHS Award | Small Overlap Front | Moderate Overlap Front | Side | Headlights | Front Crash Prevention: Vehicle-to-Vehicle | Front Crash Prevention: Pedestrian |
| 2027 Kia Telluride | TSP+ | G | G | G | G | G | G |
| 2026 Honda Passport | TSP+ | G | G | G | G | G | G |
| 2026 Hyundai Palisade | TSP+ | G | G | G | G | G | G |
| 2026 Nissan Pathfinder | TSP+ | G | G | G | A | A | G |
| 2026 Subaru Ascent | TSP+ | G | G | G | G | G | G |
| 2026 Ford Explorer | TSP | G | G | G | G | NT | G |
| 2026 Chevrolet Traverse | None | G | A | G | G | G | A |
| 2026 Toyota Highlander | None | G | M | G | G/A | NT | G |
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