The safest SUVs in a crash are those earning the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ designation, which requires top scores across multiple crash tests, effective automatic emergency braking, and good headlights. For 2025, more than 40 SUV models have earned this highest rating, spanning everything from compact crossovers like the Honda HR-V to three-row family haulers like the Mazda CX-90 and Kia EV9.
But “safest in a crash” depends on more than a single award. How a vehicle handles a side impact, whether its roof holds up in a rollover, how well it protects rear-seat passengers, and whether its technology can prevent the crash altogether all factor in. Here’s how to read the data and pick the SUV that actually protects you.
What Top Safety Pick+ Actually Requires
IIHS testing has gotten significantly harder in recent years. The side impact test, updated in 2021, now simulates a T-bone collision where a 4,200-pound barrier (roughly the weight of a modern SUV) strikes the driver’s side at 37 mph. The barrier is shaped to mimic the bumper height and grille of a real SUV, bending around the structural pillar between the front and rear doors the way an actual vehicle would. To earn a good rating, a vehicle must keep its cabin from collapsing inward and keep crash forces on the dummy’s head, neck, torso, and pelvis below dangerous thresholds.
Roof strength testing pushes a metal plate against one side of the roof until it crushes five inches. A good rating requires the roof to withstand at least four times the vehicle’s own weight before that happens. That matters most in rollovers, where a collapsing roof is one of the leading causes of fatal injuries. The frontal crash test sends the vehicle into a barrier at 40 mph with only 40 percent of the front overlapping, and now includes a dummy in the rear seat to evaluate protection for backseat passengers, not just the driver.
IIHS also recently introduced a tougher whiplash prevention test. The previous version, discontinued in 2022, had become too easy for modern vehicles to pass. The new evaluation simulates rear impacts at both 20 mph and 30 mph and measures how quickly the head restraint contacts the dummy’s head, how much force reaches the upper spine, and how well the seat absorbs crash energy. Neck sprains and strains are the most frequently reported injuries in U.S. auto insurance claims, so this test carries real weight.
Top-Rated Small SUVs
If you’re shopping for a compact crossover, 11 models currently hold Top Safety Pick+ status. Standouts include the Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-50, Honda HR-V, and Subaru Forester (2026 model). The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Subaru Solterra represent the electric options in this class. Mazda places two models here, the CX-30 and CX-50, reflecting consistently strong structural design across the lineup.
A few models carry build-date restrictions, meaning only vehicles produced after a certain date meet the standard. The 2026 Kia Sportage, for example, qualifies only if built after May 2025, and the Toyota bZ4X only after December 2024. If you’re buying one of these, check the door sticker for the manufacture date.
Top-Rated Midsize and Family SUVs
The midsize category is where most families shop, and it has the longest list of top performers. The Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Telluride, Mazda CX-90, Nissan Pathfinder, and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport all earned the highest designation. The Ford Explorer also makes the list, though only for vehicles built after June 2025. For electric three-row options, the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9 both qualify.
Mazda is particularly well represented here, with four entries: the CX-70, CX-70 PHEV, CX-90, and CX-90 PHEV. That’s notable because plug-in hybrids are heavier than their gas counterparts, and the added battery weight can change crash dynamics. Both Mazda PHEVs still earned top marks.
Among midsize luxury SUVs, the Genesis GV80, BMW X5, Volvo XC90, Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class, and Tesla Model Y all hold the top rating. The Audi Q6 e-tron and its Sportback variant qualify as well. The Mercedes GLE is worth noting: it requires the optional pedestrian front crash prevention system to earn its rating, so the base configuration does not qualify.
How Automatic Braking Changes the Equation
Crash test ratings tell you how well a vehicle protects you during a collision. But the biggest safety leap in the past decade is technology that prevents the collision from happening at all. Automatic emergency braking systems, which use cameras and radar to detect an obstacle and brake without driver input, reduce rear-end crashes by about 46 to 50 percent. That’s not a small edge. It means roughly half the rear-end collisions that would have happened simply don’t.
Forward collision warning alone, which alerts you but doesn’t brake for you, only cuts those crashes by about 21 percent. The combination of the alert plus automatic braking is what delivers the full benefit. Every SUV on the Top Safety Pick+ list includes this technology as standard equipment, along with systems designed to detect pedestrians.
Why Size and Weight Still Matter
Physics doesn’t change with technology. In a collision between two vehicles, the heavier one transfers more force to the lighter one. This is one reason SUVs have historically been safer for their own occupants in multi-vehicle crashes compared to sedans. Modern SUV design has improved enough that they no longer pose an outsized threat to occupants of other vehicles of similar weight, which wasn’t always the case. Older SUVs with stiff, high frames tended to ride over car door panels and strike occupants directly.
That said, a midsize or large SUV still provides a structural advantage over a subcompact car simply because there’s more crush space between you and the point of impact. If crash protection is your top priority and you have the budget and parking space for a larger vehicle, a midsize SUV with a Top Safety Pick+ rating gives you both engineered safety and the physics advantage.
How to Choose the Safest SUV for You
Start with the Top Safety Pick+ list, but don’t stop there. A few practical considerations narrow the field:
- Check the build date. Several models only qualify after a specific production date because the manufacturer made mid-year changes to meet the tougher standards. The 2025-26 Buick Enclave, for instance, only qualifies if built after January 2025.
- Confirm standard vs. optional equipment. The Mercedes GLE-Class requires an optional pedestrian detection package. If you skip it, the vehicle doesn’t meet the same standard.
- Consider who sits in back. The updated frontal crash test now evaluates rear-seat occupant protection. If you regularly carry passengers or children in the back, prioritize models with good ratings on this newer test rather than relying on older results.
- Electric SUVs perform well. Battery packs mounted low in the floor create a lower center of gravity, which improves stability and reduces rollover risk. Models like the Ioniq 5, Kia EV9, and Tesla Model Y all earned top marks.
No single SUV is “the safest” in every scenario. A vehicle that excels in a frontal offset crash may perform differently in a side impact or rollover. The models on the Top Safety Pick+ list have proven they perform well across all tested scenarios, which is the closest thing to a comprehensive answer. Among those, the Hyundai Santa Fe, Mazda CX-90, Kia EV9, Genesis GV80, and Volvo XC90 represent some of the strongest all-around performers across size classes and price ranges.