2020 Top Safety Picks

Vehicles that perform best in our evaluations qualify for Top Safety Pick, which has been awarded since the 2006 model year, or Top Safety Pick+, which was inaugurated in 2013.

These awards identify the best vehicle choices for safety within size categories during a given year. Larger, heavier vehicles generally afford more protection than smaller, lighter ones. Thus, a small car that qualifies for an award might not protect its occupants as well as a bigger vehicle that doesn't earn the award.

Small cars

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Honda Insight 4-door sedan

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Mazda 3 4-door hatchback

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Mazda 3 4-door sedan

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid 4-door wagon

Midsize cars

Top Safety Pick+

2021 Honda Accord 4-door sedan

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Mazda 6 4-door sedan

Top Safety Pick+

2021 Nissan Altima 4-door sedan

Top Safety Pick+

2020 Nissan Maxima 4-door sedan

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Subaru Legacy 4-door sedan

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Subaru Outback 4-door wagon

built after October 2019

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Toyota Camry 4-door sedan

Midsize luxury cars

Top Safety Pick+

2021 Acura TLX 4-door sedan

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Lexus ES 350 4-door sedan

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Mercedes-Benz C-Class 4-door sedan

with optional front crash prevention

Top Safety Pick+

2020 Tesla Model 3 4-door sedan

Top Safety Pick+

2021 Volvo S60 4-door sedan

Large luxury cars

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Audi A6 4-door sedan

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Audi A6 allroad 4-door wagon

Top Safety Pick+

2021 Audi A7 4-door hatchback

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Genesis G70 4-door sedan

applies only to vehicles built after December 2019

Top Safety Pick+

2020 Genesis G80 4-door sedan

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Genesis G90 4-door sedan

Small SUVs

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Mazda CX-3 4-door SUV

Top Safety Pick+

2021 Mazda CX-30 4-door SUV

built after September 2020

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Mazda CX-5 4-door SUV

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Subaru Forester 4-door SUV

Top Safety Pick+

2021 Volvo XC40 4-door SUV

Midsize SUVs

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Ford Explorer 4-door SUV

applies only to vehicles built after May 2020

Top Safety Pick+

2021 Hyundai Palisade 4-door SUV

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Mazda CX-9 4-door SUV

applies only to vehicles built after December 2019

Top Safety Pick+

2021 Subaru Ascent 4-door SUV

Top Safety Pick+

2021 Toyota Highlander 4-door SUV

Midsize luxury SUVs

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Acura RDX 4-door SUV

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Cadillac XT6 4-door SUV

applies only to vehicles built after October 2019

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Hyundai Nexo 4-door SUV

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Lexus NX 4-door SUV

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class 4-door SUV

with optional front crash prevention;
applies only to vehicles built after July 2019

Top Safety Pick+

2021 Volvo XC60 4-door SUV

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Volvo XC90 4-door SUV

Large SUVs

Top Safety Pick+

2020-21 Audi e-tron Sportback 4-door SUV

Minivans

Top Safety Pick+

2021 Honda Odyssey minivan

Top Safety Pick+

2021 Toyota Sienna minivan

2020 criteria

Top Safety Pick +

  • G Good ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength and head restraint tests
  • AdvancedSuperior Advanced or superior rating for available front crash prevention — vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations
  • AGAcceptable or good headlights standard

Top Safety Pick

  • G Good ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength and head restraint tests
  • AdvancedSuperior Advanced or superior rating for available front crash prevention — vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations
  • AGAcceptable or good headlights available

Other years

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