IIHS named 2025 Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ winners in four SUV size categories: small, midsize, midsize luxury and large. The awards identify strong safety choices within each category—not a single ranking of every SUV. Check the model year, build date, trim and equipment limits for the specific vehicle you’re considering.
How to read the 2025 IIHS SUV awards
IIHS’s 2025 award criteria set two relevant tiers. For Top Safety Pick+, a vehicle must earn Good ratings in the small overlap front, updated moderate overlap front and updated side tests. Its standard headlights must be rated Acceptable or Good, and its pedestrian front crash prevention must also be rated Acceptable or Good. Top Safety Pick has the same stated requirements except that an Acceptable rating is allowed in the updated moderate overlap front test.
These ratings are requirements for earning an award; they are not a quantified estimate of how much safer an awarded vehicle is in everyday driving. The official category pages do not give an attributable population-level statistic showing a real-world safety advantage for these winners, so award status should not be treated as a percentage reduction in crash risk.
IIHS says the awards identify its best vehicle choices for safety within size categories during a given year. It also cautions that “Larger, heavier vehicles generally afford more protection than smaller, lighter ones,” so a smaller award winner might not protect occupants as well as a larger vehicle that did not earn an award. The lists below therefore group winners by IIHS category rather than ranking them against one another.
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Small SUVs
IIHS’s small SUV winners include both award tiers. “2025-26” is the model-year label used on the award page.
Top Safety Pick+
- 2025 Genesis GV60
- 2025-26 Honda HR-V
- 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5
- 2025-26 Hyundai Kona
- 2025 Hyundai Tucson
- 2026 Kia Sportage, vehicles built after May 2025
- 2025-26 Mazda CX-30
- 2025-26 Mazda CX-50
- 2026 Subaru Forester
- 2025 Subaru Solterra
- 2025 Toyota bZ4X, vehicles built after December 2024
Top Safety Pick
- 2025-26 Acura ADX
- 2026 Nissan Rogue
- 2025 Subaru Forester, except Wilderness trim
- 2025-26 Toyota Corolla Cross
Midsize SUVs
The midsize category has winners in both tiers, including gas, hybrid and electric models.
Rank #2
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Top Safety Pick+
- 2025-26 Buick Enclave, vehicles built after January 2025
- 2025-26 Ford Explorer, vehicles built after June 2025
- 2025-26 Ford Mustang Mach-E
- 2026 Honda Passport
- 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9
- 2025-26 Hyundai Santa Fe, vehicles built after November 2024
- 2025-26 Kia EV9
- 2026 Kia Sorento, vehicles built after September 2025
- 2025 Kia Telluride
- 2025-26 Mazda CX-70
- 2025-26 Mazda CX-70 PHEV
- 2025-26 Mazda CX-90
- 2025-26 Mazda CX-90 PHEV
- 2025-26 Nissan Murano
- 2025-26 Nissan Pathfinder
- 2026 Volkswagen Atlas
- 2025-26 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport
Top Safety Pick
- 2025-26 Chevrolet Traverse
- 2025-26 GMC Acadia, vehicles built after January 2025
- 2025-26 Honda Pilot
- 2025 Subaru Ascent
Midsize luxury SUVs
For this category, IIHS lists the following midsize luxury winners. Several awards have build-date or equipment restrictions.
Top Safety Pick+
- 2025 Audi Q5 and Q5 Sportback, vehicles built after July 2025
- 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron and Q6 Sportback e-tron
- 2025-26 BMW X3, vehicles built after April 2025
- 2025-26 BMW X5
- 2025-26 Genesis Electrified GV70
- 2025-26 Genesis GV70, vehicles built after April 2024
- 2025-26 Genesis GV80
- 2026 Infiniti QX60
- 2026 Lexus NX
- 2025-26 Lincoln Nautilus
- 2025-26 Mercedes-Benz GLC
- 2025-26 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class with optional pedestrian front crash prevention
- 2025 Tesla Model Y
- 2025-26 Volvo XC90
- 2025-26 Volvo XC90 Plug-In Hybrid, vehicles built after December 2024
Top Safety Pick
- 2025-26 Acura MDX
- 2025 Infiniti QX60
- 2025 Lexus NX
Large SUVs
IIHS’s large SUV category lists these Top Safety Pick+ winners:
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- 2025-26 Audi Q7
- 2025-26 Infiniti QX80
- 2025-26 Nissan Armada
- 2025-26 Rivian R1S, vehicles built after August 2024
- 2025-26 Volvo EX90, vehicles built after July 2024
How to check whether a specific SUV qualifies
An award may cover only certain versions of a model. Before relying on a listing, match the vehicle’s model year and production date, then check its trim and relevant equipment against the entry on the IIHS award pages. This matters especially where the list names a build-date cutoff, excludes a trim, or requires optional equipment.
If you are comparing vehicles, use the award as a starting point, not as a complete ranking. Compare the award tier, the IIHS size category and the individual crash-test and crash-prevention ratings for the exact configuration. A category winner may suit your safety priorities, but size and the vehicle that fits your needs also matter.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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Rank #4
- Dog Car Barrier : To prevent distractions while driving. As a pet car barrier keeps naughty pets or kids in the back seat area. Car safety for dogs and baby
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- A Car Storage: Space saving, mount on the middle gap between the left right seats, or the seat back. Can store loose items to keep them from moving around your car. On long road trips, the mesh net is a great place for snacks, juice and bottled water
- What You Get: 1 X Dog Barrier Car Storage Bag In One fit for Cars SUVs. Be careful when they bounce back while install. Pls note our car dog barrier doesn't work for the car without exposed bars on the headrests or loops under the seats
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