IIHS: Audi, BMW, Ford, Hyundai and Kia Models Top Safety Award Winners

Nine 2025 and 2026 vehicle models earned the latest top highway safety awards.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s newest batch of vehicle ratings given the TOP SAFETY PICK+ award include the Audi All-new A5, Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron, BMW X3, Ford Explorer, Hyundai Ioniq 9 and Kia Sportage.

The award applies only to models built after certain dates for the X3, Sportage and Explorer. The BMW X3 and Ford Explorer qualified for the award after improving headlight ratings following manufacturer modifications.

The Hyundai Santa Cruz, Nissan Rogue and Toyota Corolla Cross received the lower-tier TOP SAFETY PICK award. The Corolla Cross and Rogue were recognized after they improved results in the side crash test.

All award winners earned good ratings for pedestrian crash avoidance with a rating of good apart from the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which was rated acceptable.

The TOP SAFETY PICK+ award winners all scored a good rating in headlights except for BMW X3 and Kia Sportage, which were rated both good and acceptable simultaneously.

The Audi All-new A5 and BMW were rated marginal in seatbelt reminders, the Kia Sportage was rated good, and the rest of the TOP SAFETY PICK+ award winners were not rated.

In terms of latches and ease of use, the A5 and Ioniq 9 were rated good, the Sportage and Explorer were rated acceptable, and Audi Q6 Sportback and the X3 were not rated.

To qualify for either the TOP SAFETY PICK+ or the lower-tier TOP SAFETY PICK awards vehicles needed to have a good rating in the overlap font and side tests, an acceptable or good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention evaluation and acceptable or good rated headlights across all trim levels.

For the TOP SAFETY PICK+ award a rating of good is required in the moderate overlap front test but for the lower-tier TOP SAFETY PICK an acceptable rating is enough to qualify.