Dive Brief:
- The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety last month announced changes to the 2024 testing criteria for its Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards.
- For a vehicle to receive a Top Safety Pick or Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS, it must now offer better protection for rear-seat passengers and improved pedestrian crash avoidance systems.
- “We followed the tougher requirements we introduced last year with another major update to the award criteria in 2024,” said IIHS President David Harkey, adding this year's winners offer "the highest level of protection" to vehicle occupants and other road users.
Dive Insight:
The more stringent testing methods were introduced last year by the IIHS. They include updates to vehicle-side crash tests and requirements for headlights and pedestrian front crash prevention. Before the updates, vehicles that received a “good” or “acceptable” for a side impact crash could still qualify for a Top Safety Pick award.
According to S&P Global, automakers can boost sales by receiving a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS, as safety remains an important factor for many car buyers.
This year, Hyundai Motor Group received the most awards overall for the updated tests, with 16 awards, six of which were Top Safety Pick+ awards. Toyota Motor Corp., including its luxury brand Lexus, had the next highest number of awards with 13, including one Top Safety Pick+ and 12 Top Safety Pick awards.
By category, SUVs dominated the award listings, with small, midsize and luxury models picking up the most Top Safety Pick+ and several Top Safety Pick awards. The IIHS said that few cars, pickups and minivans qualified for either of the two awards.
“The high number of SUVs that earn awards probably reflects the dominance of those vehicles in the U.S. market,” Harkey said in a press release. “But it’s disappointing that only four pickups and four midsize cars earn awards, considering the popularity of those classes.”
SUVs lead 2024 safety awards
As a result of the recent updates to its testing criteria, 71 models qualified for the two awards, with 22 of these vehicles winning a Top Safety Pick+ award.
“We followed the tougher requirements we introduced last year with another major update to the award criteria in 2024,” said Harkey. “This year’s winners are true standouts, offering the highest level of protection for both vehicle occupants and other vulnerable road users.”
The IIHS also changed its daytime and nighttime pedestrian front crash avoidance test, which is now combined into a single evaluation. Vehicles must also be equipped with acceptable headlights to receive one of the two awards.
