7 Popular SUVs With Strong Crash Scores
These vehicles all earned either a 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ award under the latest, more demanding standards .
1. Hyundai Tucson (Top Safety Pick+)
The Tucson earned the IIHS‘s highest honor for 2026 . But here’s why the full picture matters: in a separate new IIHS whiplash prevention test, the Tucson received a Poor rating — the lowest possible score . The IIHS observed that the head restraint pushed the dummy‘s chin down toward the chest during the simulated rear impact, indicating a design that could increase neck injury risk in real-world rear-end collisions . This doesn’t erase the Top Safety Pick+ badge, which evaluates different crash scenarios. But it‘s a specific, published data point that family buyers should know about — especially if you spend a lot of time in stop-and-go traffic where rear-end collisions are common.
2. Subaru Forester (Top Safety Pick+)
The Forester continues Subaru’s safety streak with a Top Safety Pick+ award . It also earned a Good rating in the new IIHS whiplash prevention test — one of only four small SUVs to do so . That‘s notable because whiplash is the most frequently reported injury in U.S. auto insurance claims . For a family SUV that’s likely to see daily commuting and school-drop-off duty, strong whiplash protection is a meaningful data point that most comparison tests overlook.
3. Kia Sportage (Top Safety Pick+)
The Sportage matches its corporate cousin, the Tucson, with a Top Safety Pick+ rating — but applies only to vehicles built after May 2025 . On the whiplash test, the Sportage earned an Acceptable rating — one tier above the Tucson‘s Poor . For buyers cross-shopping these two mechanically similar SUVs, this is a specific safety differentiator worth knowing.
4. Mazda CX-90 (Top Safety Pick+)
Mazda earned more Top Safety Pick+ awards than any other automaker in 2026, and the CX-90 is a standout in the three-row segment . It achieved perfect Good ratings across all three major crash tests — small overlap front, moderate overlap front, and side — and also cleared the vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test . For families who need a third row and prioritize crash protection, the CX-90 has the strongest published data in its class right now.
5. Hyundai Santa Fe (Top Safety Pick+)
The Santa Fe added a Top Safety Pick+ award for 2026 . It joins the CX-90 and Kia Sorento in a small group of three-row SUVs with top marks under the stricter 2026 protocols. If you’re cross-shopping three-row family haulers, the Santa Fe, CX-90, and Sorento are the nameplates with the most comprehensive verified safety data this year.
6. Honda HR-V (Top Safety Pick+)
The HR-V is one of the most affordable small SUVs to earn a Top Safety Pick+ award for 2026 . It proves that strong crash protection under the latest standards doesn‘t require a premium price tag — a useful data point for budget-conscious family buyers who might otherwise assume safety correlates directly with cost.
7. Mazda CX-50 (Top Safety Pick+)
The CX-50 joins its Mazda siblings on the Top Safety Pick+ list . However, it shares a caveat with the Tucson: in the new IIHS whiplash test, the CX-50 earned a Poor rating . The IIHS observed that the head restraint allowed the dummy’s head to slide backward and upward during the simulated impact . If you‘re comparing the CX-50 against the Forester — which earned Good on both the crash tests and the whiplash evaluation — the Subaru holds a measurable safety edge that the award badges alone don’t reveal.
3 That Need a Closer Look
These vehicles either missed an IIHS award entirely in 2026, or carry specific published data points that family buyers should understand.
1. Toyota Highlander — Moderate Overlap Front: Marginal
The Highlander‘s result in the updated moderate overlap front test is the most concerning on this list. The rear passenger restraints and dummy kinematics received a Marginal rating — the second-lowest score on the IIHS scale . Specifically, the IIHS found elevated head and neck injury risk for rear-seat occupants in that test, which directly affects families who put children or smaller adults in the back . This alone ruled the Highlander out of any Top Safety Pick award for 2026. The Highlander is still a safe vehicle by most real-world measures — but this specific test result is published, verifiable, and worth knowing if you regularly carry kids.
2. Honda Pilot — Moderate Overlap Front: Acceptable
The Pilot fared better than the Highlander but still fell short of a Good rating in the moderate overlap front test, posting an Acceptable score that kept it from earning Top Safety Pick status . Its small overlap front and side test results are both Good . If you’re comparing the Pilot against a CX-90 or Telluride with verified Good ratings across the board, the Acceptable rear-seat score is a relevant data point — not a dealbreaker, but not nothing.
3. Ford Bronco Sport — Whiplash Prevention: Poor
The Bronco Sport did not receive an IIHS award in 2026, and it earned a Poor rating in the new whiplash prevention test — the lowest of any small SUV evaluated . The IIHS noted that the Bronco Sport provided particularly poor support for the head and spine, with a long delay before the head restraint contacted the dummy‘s head and a high difference in velocity between the pelvis and head . For a vehicle marketed toward active families and outdoor lifestyles — where long highway drives to trailheads and campsites are part of the ownership proposition — this is a data point worth weighing carefully.
What This Means for Your Shopping List
The 2026 IIHS changes boiled down to two core demands: better protection for back-seat passengers, and better crash prevention systems that work at higher speeds and detect pedestrians . The moderate overlap front test now places a smaller dummy in the rear seat, and vehicles that protect the driver perfectly can still fail if the rear occupant isn’t adequately restrained . This is the test that tripped up the Highlander and Pilot .
Separately, the new whiplash test — launched in January 2026 — evaluates seat and head restraint designs at two different impact speeds, measuring pelvic displacement and head-neck forces that the old test didn‘t capture . This is why a vehicle can earn Top Safety Pick+ in crash testing but still score Poor on whiplash prevention. The two evaluations measure different things.
Three practical rules for using safety ratings in your decision:
Prioritize vehicles with 2026 Top Safety Pick+ if crash protection is non-negotiable. The plus-tier requires Good ratings in all three major crash tests plus superior crash prevention . It’s the most comprehensive safety signal available.
Check the whiplash rating separately. It‘s not part of the Top Safety Pick criteria, so a TSP+ badge doesn’t guarantee strong whiplash protection. The IIHS publishes these ratings independently. The Forester and RAV4 earned Good on both — the Tucson and CX-50 did not .
Look at sub-scores, not just the badge. The Highlander and Pilot are still safe vehicles. But the Marginal and Acceptable rear-seat scores in the moderate overlap test are specific, published data points . Don‘t let an overall reputation override a known weakness.
The safest SUV isn’t the one with the best marketing. It‘s the one with the best published crash data — and in 2026, that data covers more scenarios than ever, provided you know where to look.
Sources: IIHS 2026 award criteria and test protocols, IIHS Top Safety Pick listings, IIHS whiplash prevention test results, Autoblog/Yahoo Autos crash test analysis, Kelley Blue Book.