IIHS handed its 2026 Top Safety Pick award to 18 vehicles, and not all of them reached the higher Plus tier. The base award asks for an acceptable or good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention test. These twelve cars, SUVs and trucks earned the award without the Plus.
The tech news worth your time: 400,000+ professionals from Google, Apple and OpenAI read Techpresso, a daily email with the most interesting tech news and insights.
We may earn a commission if you sign up.
1. Honda Accord: Sedan With Few Weak Spots
The Accord scores Good in small overlap, moderate overlap, side and headlights, and Acceptable in pedestrian crash prevention, according to ratings page for the 2026 Accord. That is a strong spread for a midsize sedan, with only one test falling short of the top rating.
The base award only requires an acceptable or good result in the pedestrian front crash prevention test, which is why a sedan with one Acceptable mark can still qualify. It earned the Top Safety Pick label without reaching the Plus tier, so the award should be read as a solid result and not a perfect sweep.
2. Honda Civic hatchback: Hatchback Holds The Line
Honda’s compact hatchback collects Good ratings in small overlap, moderate overlap, side and headlights, with Acceptable in pedestrian crash prevention, as laid out on IIHS page for the Civic hatchback. The profile mirrors the Accord’s, down to the single Acceptable result.
It is one of three small cars on the 2026 base list. Because the pedestrian result sits below Good, the hatchback lands in the Top Safety Pick group and not the Plus group.
3. Hyundai Elantra: A Braking Test Standout
Good ratings run across the crash tests, headlights and pedestrian crash prevention for the Elantra, and IIHS Elantra ratings adds that impact speed fell 20 mph in the 25 mph test.
That braking result is the most striking number among the compact sedans on this list. Even so, the Elantra sits with the base winners, a reminder that the award tier depends on more than the ratings visible on a single page.
4. Ford Explorer: Every Box Ticked
IIHS rates the Explorer Good in every test listed, including headlights and pedestrian crash prevention, according to 2026 model page.
A full row of Good marks might suggest the Plus level, yet the Explorer is counted among the winners that missed it. The ratings page and the awards tier do not line up neatly, so the label deserves a careful read before anyone treats it as a ranking of the tests.
5. Ford Mustang Mach-E: Electric Crossover, Same Puzzle
The Mustang Mach-E earns Good in small overlap, moderate overlap, side, headlights and pedestrian crash prevention, based on IIHS ratings for the Mach-E.
Its page shows all Good ratings, yet the label reads Top Safety Pick rather than the Plus. That mismatch keeps the electric crossover in the base group of this gallery and shows why page labels and test scores can look out of step for shoppers comparing similar vehicles.
6. Volkswagen Atlas: Big SUV, Base Award
Good ratings in crash tests and headlights, plus an Acceptable in pedestrian crash prevention, define the Atlas on its IIHS ratings page.
That pedestrian mark is enough to meet the base award requirement, since acceptable or good is all the test asks. The Volkswagen therefore joins the base winners rather than the Plus group, and buyers comparing the two tiers should check the individual ratings, headlights included, before drawing conclusions.
7. Nissan Armada: Full-Size SUV Gets A Nod
The Armada reaches Good in crash tests and pedestrian crash prevention, with an Acceptable in headlights, according to IIHS ratings for the Armada.
Here the headlights, not the pedestrian test, hold a rating below Good. Missing the Plus can therefore trace back to different single results from one winner to the next, even among vehicles that carry the very same award label on a dealer window sticker, and it shows why ratings pages repay a closer look.
8. Toyota Tundra: The Only Pickup
IIHS rates the Tundra crew cab Good in crash tests, with Acceptable pedestrian prevention and Acceptable headlights on SR, SR5 and Limited trims, as listed on its crew cab ratings page.
It is the single large pickup among the 18 base winners. The trim detail matters, since the headlight rating applies to named versions and the Acceptable pedestrian result keeps the truck below the Plus level, even with Good marks in the crash tests themselves.
9. Lincoln Nautilus: Midsize Luxury Winner
IIHS lists the Nautilus among the 2026 Top Safety Pick winners in midsize luxury SUVs, per its 2026 awards announcement.
The announcement confirms the award tier but this gallery draws no individual test scores for the Nautilus. What the award does guarantee is at least an acceptable pedestrian front crash prevention rating, and the base tier means the Plus was not earned. Shoppers wanting detail would need to open the individual model page for the luxury crossover.
10. Volvo XC90: Second Luxury Pick
The XC90 also appears among the 2026 Top Safety Pick winners in midsize luxury SUVs, as named in IIHS awards article. Four midsize luxury SUVs made the base list.
Like the Nautilus, the Volvo is confirmed at the award level without a test-by-test breakdown here. Base winners need an acceptable or good pedestrian result, and this one stopped short of the Plus tier, so the base label is the accurate description of its result.
11. Audi Q7: Large SUV Representation
IIHS places the Q7 among the 2026 Top Safety Pick winners in large SUVs, according to the 2026 awards announcement. Three large SUVs earned the base award.
Audi’s entry is verified at the award level only, with no individual ratings cited. It sits in the base group rather than the Plus group, but still meets the pedestrian crash prevention requirement that the award sets for every winner, whatever the other results show.
12. Infiniti QX80: Large SUV, Base Tier
The QX80 is named among the 2026 Top Safety Pick winners in large SUVs in IIHS’s awards article. Three large SUVs earned the base award.
Infiniti’s entry is also confirmed at the award tier alone, so no breakdown of tests is offered. The label means the SUV earned an acceptable or good pedestrian rating, though not the Plus recognition given to others, which makes the base tier the accurate description of its result.
The tech news worth your time: Subscribe to Techpresso →
We may earn a commission if you sign up.
More from Morning Overview
- Common allergy, bladder and sleep pills tied to sharply higher dementia odds
- NOAA now gives this winter a 75% chance of the strongest El Nino since 1950
- Doctors warn a silent liver disease now affects one in three American adults
- The FBI told the rest of ShinyHunters to surrender after a 24-year-old was arrested
