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IIHS safety awards

IIHS tests evaluate two aspects of safety: crashworthiness — how well a vehicle protects its occupants in a crash — and crash avoidance and mitigation — technology that can prevent a crash or lessen its severity.

To determine crashworthiness, IIHS rates vehicles good, acceptable, marginal or poor, based on performance in five tests: moderate overlap front, small overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints. In the area of crash avoidance and mitigation, IIHS assigns vehicles with available front crash prevention systems ratings of basic, advanced or superior, based on the type of system and performance in track tests.

To qualify for 2016 Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn good ratings in five crashworthiness tests — small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints — as well as a basic rating for front crash prevention.

To qualify for 2016 Top Safety Pick+, a vehicle must earn good ratings in the five crashworthiness tests and an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention.

See current winners by type/size by choosing from the categories at right.

A full list of current winners in all size classes is also available.

Browse previous winners by year

Awards criteria
Minicars
Small cars
Midsize cars
Midsize luxury cars
Large cars
Large luxury cars
Small SUVs
Midsize SUVs
Midsize luxury SUVs
Large SUVs
Minivans
Large pickups

Latest crash test headlines

New Cadillac SUV earns Top Safety Pick+ awardSeptember 22, 2016
New Chrysler minivan qualifies for top award from IIHSSeptember 20, 2016
2017 Chevrolet Volt earns Top Safety Pick+ awardSeptember 13, 2016
Lincoln MKZ earns good small overlap rating, Top Safety Pick+August 25, 2016
Hyundai Santa Fe improves small overlap rating, earns Top Safety Pick+August 4, 2016

MORE ON CRASH TESTING AND CRASHWORTHINESS | MORE NEWS

Front crash prevention

See how IIHS evaluates automatic braking and forward collision warning systems. Then use our search tool to look up ratings by model or vehicle type/size.

Safe vehicles for teens

Looking for a safe used vehicle for your teenage driver? If a new model isn't in your budget, consult our list of recommended used vehicles for teens.

Vehicle LATCH and booster seat ratings

Our main vehicle ratings include results of our LATCH evaluations, which show which models have easy-to-use child restraint installation hardware. For older kids, our booster seat ratings identify boosters that provide good safety belt fit.

Shopping for a safer car

Buying a new or used vehicle? Learn how to compare car, minivan, pickup and SUV models on safety, including how to use crash test ratings and what features to look for.

Crash avoidance technologies

Technology can help avoid crashes. Find out which vehicles come with standard or optional forward collision warning, autobrake, lane departure warning, lane departure prevention, adaptive headlights and blind spot detection.

Electronic stability control

ESC cuts in half the the risk of a fatal single-vehicle crash. It's been required since the 2012 model year, but if you're buying a used vehicle, check our database to make sure it comes with this important safety feature.

Side airbags

Side airbags that protect both the head and chest provide crucial protection. Most 2008 and later models have them. Consult our database to find out the type of side airbags available in a specific vehicle.

About our tests

The moderate overlap front, small overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests form the basis of our crashworthiness ratings. We also test vehicles with autobrake systems to rate them for front crash prevention. Learn how these tests are done.

Test protocols and technical information

Transparency is one of the keys to the success of our ratings program. All of our test protocols are available here.

Explore our Vehicle Research Center

Take a look at our world-class crash test facility, located in central Virginia.

Insurance losses by make and model

Compare loss information for hundreds of vehicles under six types of coverage for damage, injuries and theft.

Driver death rates

We've computed the number of drivers killed in crashes per million registered vehicle years for more than 150 models.

Bumper evaluations

Bumpers are supposed to protect against costly damage in minor collisions, but not all of them do. These ratings tell you the extent of the damage in our low-speed crash tests.