The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reserves its Top Safety Pick+ award for vehicles that clear its toughest crash and crash-avoidance tests. Several of the SUVs below earned the honor with conditions, such as a build-date cutoff or a redesign. Here are twelve SUVs that made the 2026 list, with the reason each one qualified.
1. Honda HR-V: Small-SUV Standout
Honda’s small crossover earned a place among the small SUVs named a 2026 Top Safety Pick+, according to the 2026 safety awards announcement. The award is the institute’s toughest tier, so a small SUV clearing it carries real weight in a segment where shoppers often assume safety gets traded away for a lower sticker price.
Buyers cross-shopping entry-level crossovers can treat the rating as a genuine point in the HR-V’s favor. The award applies to the 2026 model year, so a used or older example should be checked against the institute’s listings before the badge is assumed.
2. Hyundai Tucson: Small-SUV Safety Pick
The Tucson earned 2026 Top Safety Pick+ status as a small SUV, a placement confirmed in the institute’s 2026 awards announcement. The award rests on the same demanding criteria applied to every winner, including good small and moderate overlap and side crash results, acceptable or good headlights and strong front crash prevention.
For compact-SUV shoppers, the Tucson now meets the toughest published bar in its class. Owners and buyers should still confirm that the exact model year and trim being considered match the vehicle the institute evaluated.
3. Kia Sportage: Built After May 2025
The Sportage holds a 2026 Top Safety Pick+, but the award applies only to vehicles built after May 2025, as the 2026 winners list specifies. That production-date cutoff means two Sportages sold in the same model year can differ in whether they qualify.
Shoppers who want the award attached to the car they actually buy should check the build date on the door-jamb sticker rather than relying on the model year alone. A unit built earlier may share the name and the sheet metal without carrying the honor.
4. Mazda CX-5: Safety Pick Listed
Mazda’s CX-5 appears among the winners in Consumer Reports’ roundup of the safest new cars, listed as a 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick+. Showing up on that roster puts the crossover in front of the many buyers who consult independent safety rankings before visiting a showroom.
The listing gives CX-5 shoppers a safety credential to weigh alongside price, fuel economy and driving feel. As with any annual award, the safest approach is to verify the model year and equipment against the institute’s own list before purchase.
5. Hyundai Santa Fe: Midsize Winner
Hyundai’s Santa Fe took a 2026 Top Safety Pick+ in the midsize SUV class, as recorded on the institute’s 2026 winners page. Midsize SUVs are a common choice for households that need room, so a top-tier result in this class lands where many shoppers are looking.
Families comparing midsize options can add the Santa Fe to the list of models meeting the toughest standard. Confirming that the specific model year matches the award remains a sensible step before signing paperwork.
6. Hyundai Palisade: Built After November 2025
The Palisade earned a 2026 Top Safety Pick+, with a condition attached: the award covers only vehicles built after November 2025, per the institute’s 2026 winners list. The cutoff separates qualifying Palisades from earlier ones that share the nameplate.
Anyone shopping for a Palisade should read the build date before treating the badge as guaranteed. Dealers can usually confirm production timing from the VIN or the door sticker, and the distinction matters when a lot holds both older and newer stock.
7. Kia Telluride: Redesigned for 2027
The redesigned 2027 Telluride earned Top Safety Pick+ in September 2026, and the institute’s September additions release adds a catch: only Tellurides built after June 2026 qualify. The honor came as an addition to the 2026 winners rather than as part of the original spring announcement.
Buyers eyeing the new Telluride should confirm a post-June 2026 build date, since earlier units fall outside the award. The result gives the freshly redesigned SUV an early safety credential that many all-new models take longer to earn.
8. Tesla Model Y: Redesigned for 2026
The Model Y, redesigned for 2026, makes the Top Safety Pick+ cut thanks to good ratings across the board, according to the institute’s September additions release covering the September additions. Strong marks everywhere, rather than a narrow pass on a few tests, is what the top tier demands.
Electric-SUV shoppers get a strong safety credential for one of the best-known nameplates in the segment. Because the award follows the redesign, older Model Y examples should not be assumed to carry the same distinction without checking the listing.
9. Subaru Outback: Midsize Wagon Stance
The Outback is a 2026 Top Safety Pick+ among midsize SUVs, a placement documented in the institute’s 2026 awards announcement. Subaru’s raised-wagon crossover therefore sits alongside the toughest-graded vehicles in its class.
For buyers drawn to the Outback’s format, the award adds a safety argument to the usual talking points of ground clearance and utility. It applies to the 2026 model year, so earlier Outbacks need their own check before anyone assumes the same standing.
10. Subaru Ascent: Family Contender
The Ascent is listed as a 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ in Consumer Reports’ roundup of the year’s safest new vehicles. Subaru’s family SUV thus joins the group of winners that cleared the institute’s most demanding set of crash and crash-prevention tests.
Large families weighing options can use the listing as one more data point alongside space, towing and price. A shopper considering a used Ascent should verify that the specific model year was actually among those the institute honored.
11. Nissan Pathfinder: Midsize Family Hauler
The Pathfinder earned 2026 Top Safety Pick+ among midsize SUVs, as the institute’s 2026 awards release confirms. Nissan’s midsize entry therefore stands among the vehicles that met the same headlight, pedestrian-detection and crash-test requirements as every other winner.
Parents and carpool drivers comparing midsize SUVs can add the Pathfinder to the roster of vehicles meeting the toughest standard. The honor attaches to the 2026 model year, which makes it worth confirming against the institute’s list when shopping used.
12. Audi Q5: Luxury Midsize Winner
Audi’s Q5 won 2026 Top Safety Pick+ in the midsize luxury SUV class, a result shown in the institute’s 2026 winners list. The luxury midsize bracket is crowded with premium nameplates, and the Q5’s inclusion marks it as one that meets the toughest published criteria.
Premium-SUV buyers who weigh safety as heavily as badge and interior can treat the Q5’s award as a meaningful differentiator. Checking that the exact model year matches the evaluated vehicle remains the prudent last step before committing.
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