This week the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released their list of the 2020 Top Safety Pick+ vehicles. The models earning this designation are the cream of the crop earning high marks for their safety features, crashworthiness, and headlight visibility.
To qualify as a 2020 Top Safety Pick+ winner, vehicles must score at least a Good rating in the driver-size small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. They must also get an Advanced or Superior rating for available front crash prevention — vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations. Finally, their headlights must be rated as Acceptable or Good.
The vehicles listed below checked all those boxes.
Acura RDX
Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Co., Inc
The Acura RDX is a four-door midsize luxury SUV. It earned all Good crash test ratings and a mixed Good and Acceptable headlight rating (varies by trim level). It has Superior front vehicle-to-vehicle crash protection and Advanced front vehicle-to-pedestrian crash prevention.
Audi A6
Photo courtesy of Audi AG
The Audi A6 is a luxury large four-door sedan. It earned similar marks to the RDX with all Good crash test ratings and a mixed Good and Acceptable headlight rating (varies by trim level). It performed better in the front crash protection scenarios earning two Superior ratings.
Cadillac XT6
The Cadillac XT6 is a four-door midsize luxury SUV that is new to the market for 2020. This award only applies to models built after October 2019. It earns all Good crash test ratings, an Acceptable headlight rating, and Superior front crash protection ratings for its standard and available systems.
Genesis G70
Photo courtesy of Genesis Motor LLC
Despite being the smallest car Genesis builds, the G70 is categorized by IIHS as a four-door luxury large car. The ratings it earned apply only to models built after December 2019. While it earned all Good marks for crashworthiness, the car faltered a bit in the headlight test with the available headlights earning a Good rating while others got a less distinguished Passing rating. It has Superior front vehicle-to-vehicle crash protection and Advanced front vehicle-to-pedestrian crash prevention.
Genesis G80
Photo courtesy of Genesis Motor LLC
IIHS also categorizes the Genesis G80 as a four-door luxury large car. It too earned all Good crash test ratings. Its headlights took home Good and Acceptable marks. It has Superior front vehicle-to-vehicle crash protection and Advanced front vehicle-to-pedestrian crash prevention.
Honda Insight
Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Co., Inc
The Honda Insight is a four-door small sedan with big appeal for commuters. It has earned the highest marks IIHS gives in each area it was evaluated. The Insight is one of the few models to earn just high praise.
Hyundai Nexo
Photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor America
Despite being from the Hyundai brand, the four-door hydrogen-powered SUV is categorized as a midsize luxury SUV by IIHS. This probably has something to do with its high price tag. The Nexo scored nearly all top-tier ratings. The exception is in the vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention test where it earned an Advanced rating.
Lexus ES
Photo courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.
The 2020 Lexus ES 350 is a four-door midsize luxury car that was redesigned for the 2019 model year. It scored all Good ratings in the crashworthiness tests but earned just Good and Acceptable headlight ratings as the lights vary by trim level. It has Superior front vehicle-to-vehicle crash protection and Advanced front vehicle-to-pedestrian crash prevention.
Lexus NX
Photo courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.
IIHS categorizes the four-door Lexus NX as a midsize luxury sedan. It, like the Honda Insight, earned all top-tier marks inn every testing category.
Mazda CX-3
Photo courtesy of Mazda North American Operations
As far as four-door small SUVs go, the Mazda CX-3 is one of the safest. It scored all Good ratings in the crashworthiness tests but earned just Good and Acceptable headlight ratings because the lights vary by trim level. It has Superior front vehicle-to-vehicle crash protection and Advanced front vehicle-to-pedestrian crash prevention.
Mazda CX-5
Photo courtesy of Mazda North American Operations
IIHS’s ratings of the four-door Mazda CX-5 small SUV apply only to models with the available front crash prevention system. When equipped with that system, the CX-5 gets rated as having Good crashworthiness, Good and Acceptable headlights because the lights vary by trim level, Superior front vehicle-to-vehicle crash protection with its optional system, and Advanced front vehicle-to-vehicle (standard) and vehicle-to-pedestrian crash prevention (available) with the systems.
Mazda Mazda3 Hatchback
Photo courtesy of Mazda North American Operations
The four-door Mazda Mazda3 Hatchback earned all top-tier ratings from IIHS except in the headlight test where it just had an Acceptable rating.
Mazda Mazda3 Sedan
Photo courtesy of Mazda North American Operations
Like the hatchback variant, the four-door Mazda Mazda3 small sedan earned all top-tier ratings from IIHS except in the headlight test where it just had an Acceptable rating.
Mazda Mazda6
Photo courtesy of Mazda North American Operations
The four-door midsize Mazda Mazda6 is slightly further into its current generation than the Mazda3, which could justify its less stellar ratings. Still, it got all Good marks in the six crashworthiness categories, Superior in the front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle ratings, and Advanced in the front crash prevention: vehicle-to-pedestrian categories. The car’s headlights earned Good and Acceptable headlight ratings as the lights vary by trim level.
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class, equipped with the available front crash prevention technology, earned nearly perfect ratings. The one holdback is the headlights category where the standard headlamps were only rated Acceptable whereas the available ones received a Good mark.
Mercedes-Benz GLE
Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
The Mercedes-Benz GLE, equipped with the available front crash prevention technology, earned the exact same marks as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Nissan Maxima
The four-door Nissan Maxima sedan is one of the models that earned a nearly perfect score. The only place where it faltered is with its headlamps, which scored just an Acceptable rating.
Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid
Photo courtesy of Subaru of America Inc.
The Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, earned a perfect score in all the categories IIHS tested.
Subaru Forester
Photo courtesy of Subaru of America Inc.
The Subaru Forester small SUV very nearly earned a perfect score. The one holdback is the headlights category where the standard headlamps were only rated Acceptable whereas the available ones received a Good mark.
Subaru Legacy
Photo courtesy of Subaru of America Inc.
The Subaru Legacy’s scores are the same as the Subaru Forester’s. It got all Good marks except for its standard headlamps, which were only rated Acceptable whereas the available ones received a Good mark.
Subaru Outback
Photo courtesy of Subaru of America Inc.
The Subaru Outback’s award only applies to vehicles built after October 2019. Those wagons all earned a perfect score in every category except the headlight test. The headlights earned Marginal, Acceptable, and Good marks, depending on the trim level.
Tesla Model 3
Photo courtesy of Tesla
The Tesla Model 3 all-electric sedan earned all Good ratings in its crashworthiness test but didn’t score quite as well in the front crash prevention: vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluation where it got just an Advanced rating.
Toyota Camry
Photo courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.
All of the Toyota Camry sedan’s crashworthiness scores earned a Good rating. Its headlamps were only rated Acceptable whereas the available ones received a Good mark. The car’s front crash prevention: vehicle-to-pedestrian system received an Advanced rating.
