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2026 Hyundai Palisade, Toyota Prius named IIHS Top Safety Pick+ winners

Updates to the IIHS tests mean automakers are making improvements to meet them
  • The IIHS has named the 2026 Hyundai Palisade and 2026 Toyota Prius as Top Safety Pick+ winners for 2026
  • Both earned the awards after making improvements to meet the updated tests
  • 14 other models were also tested, but none earned the top awards.

The 2026 Hyundai Palisade and the 2026 Toyota Prius are the latest models to earn the highest Top Safety Pick+ award from the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Prius was previously a Top Safety Pick, but now earns the “+” for improved performance in one of the tests.

The IIHS also tested 14 other vehicles, none of which qualified for the Safety Pick or Pick+ designation.

To qualify for Top Safety Pick, a vehicle needs to earn the top “Good” rating in three crash tests of small overlap front, moderate overlap front, and side crash; along with “Good” or next-step-down “Acceptable” for headlight performance across all trims. The moderate overlap front crash was updated to assess potential injury to a rear-seat passenger, as well as to those in front.

The award also requires rating the vehicle’s front collision mitigation – what’s commonly known as emergency front braking – and the IIHS has updated that requirement as well. On top of the other requirements, a vehicle must earn “Good” or “Acceptable” in how its collision system recognizes pedestrians. For the Pick+, it must earn “Good” only for pedestrian recognition, along with “Good” or “Acceptable” for vehicle-to-vehicle crash mitigation. The latter was updated last year and has now become a requirement for the highest award.

The Palisade earned the top award for “improved performance” in the updated moderate front overlap. That said, it’s only for models built after November 2025, when Hyundai changed its rear seatbelt buckles. The Prius moved up for its better result in the vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test.

The updated front moderate test is proving to be a sticking point for several vehicles. Not all of the 14 other vehicles tested have undergone it yet – testing takes a lot of time – but among those 2026 vehicles that have, the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Maverick, Honda Ridgeline, Kia K4 Hatchback, and Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Land Cruiser, and Sequoia all earned “Good” in it. The Ford Ranger and Nissan Frontier earned “Acceptable,” while the Jeep Compass earned “Marginal.” Article content In the updated moderate front overlap, the BMW i4, Chevrolet Equinox, and Nissan Frontier earned “Good,” while the BMW 3 Series earned “Acceptable.” But a “Marginal” result went to the Ford Maverick and Ranger, the Kia K4 Hatchback, and the Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Land Cruiser, and Sequoia; and the Honda Ridgeline and Jeep Compass rated “Poor.”