Two Mercedes-Benz SUVs capture top honors

The 2023-24 Mercedes-Benz GLC and 2024 GLE-Class, both midsize luxury SUVs, earn Top Safety Pick+ awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

To qualify for the award in 2023, a vehicle must earn a good rating in the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, original moderate overlap front and updated side tests. Acceptable or good headlights must be standard across all trims, and a front crash prevention system that earns advanced or superior ratings in both the daytime and nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations must be available.

In contrast, for the lower-tier Top Safety Pick award, an acceptable rating in the updated side test is enough, and only an advanced or superior rating in the daytime vehicle-to-pedestrian test is necessary.

The award applies to 2024 GLC vehicles and 2023 vehicles built after March 2023, when the manufacturer changed its assembly process to adjust the aim of one of the two available headlight systems.

Model year 2024 GLE-Class vehicles qualify for the higher award when equipped with the optional Active Brake Assist with Cross-Traffic Function front crash prevention system. Vehicles with all standard equipment meet the requirements for Top Safety Pick.

On the GLC, the standard Active Brake Assist front crash prevention system earns advanced ratings in both the daytime and nighttime pedestrian evaluations, while the optional Active Distance Assist Distronic system earns superior ratings in both tests.

On the GLE-Class, the standard Active Brake Assist system earns an advanced rating in the daytime test but only a basic rating in the nighttime evaluation, while the optional system with Cross-Traffic Function earns a superior daytime and an advanced nighttime rating.

Both models are available with standard good-rated LED reflector headlights and optional good-rated LED projector headlights.