The newly awarded vehicles include the Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Sonata, Kia K4, Toyota Prius, Toyota bZ4X, and Nissan Murano. Each vehicle met or exceeded IIHS’s increasingly rigorous safety standards, including strong crashworthiness in small overlap front and updated side-impact tests, pedestrian crash prevention, and consistent headlight performance across all trims.
To earn the “plus” distinction, a vehicle must also score a good rating in the updated moderate overlap front test—a step up from the base Top Safety Pick award, which requires only an acceptable score in that category.
Several models had to undergo recent manufacturing changes to meet these high standards. The Elantra qualifies for the award only if built after October 2024, following structural modifications. The Sonata and K4 earned their awards based on vehicles produced after November 2024 and January 2025, respectively, which included upgrades to rear occupant safety.
The Toyota bZ4X, a fully electric small SUV, also needed a key update to secure its spot. Only vehicles built after December 2024, when Toyota upgraded the XLE trim’s headlights to match the “good”-rated lighting on the Limited trim, qualify for the award. Earlier XLE versions had headlights rated only as marginal.
Meanwhile, Toyota’s Prius and Nissan’s Murano both earned the award without qualifying production cutoffs, indicating consistently strong safety performance across build dates and trim levels.
In contrast, three other vehicles evaluated during this round—Ford Bronco, Ford Bronco Sport, and Volkswagen Taos—fell short of award eligibility due to weaknesses in one or more tests.
The Ford Bronco, despite solid performance in several categories, was marked down due to marginal scores for its headlights, pedestrian crash prevention system, and moderate overlap crash performance. In particular, rear dummy readings in the moderate overlap test showed a heightened risk of chest injuries.
The Bronco Sport suffered from similar issues, with injury metrics indicating elevated risk to the chest, head, and neck. A concerning belt performance during the moderate overlap test also raised flags, as the lap belt moved from the pelvis to the abdomen—an unsafe positioning that increases injury risk. The Bronco Sport only earned an acceptable rating in the updated side-impact test, largely due to high injury numbers for the driver’s pelvis.
Volkswagen’s Taos continued to fall short of the institute’s highest standards, retaining only an acceptable rating in the small overlap front test due to concerns with its safety cage. While the manufacturer added pretensioners and load limiters to the rear seat belts starting in January 2025, the model still showed poor rear passenger protection in crash simulations. The Taos also underperformed in the moderate overlap front test and pedestrian crash avoidance.
While some metrics, such as seatbelt reminders and LATCH ease of use, are not factored into award decisions, they are included in the IIHS data and may influence consumer decisions.