Safety
Safest Cars — IIHS Top Safety Pick+
Ranked from the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Awards (2025). CarOutlay adds the ownership-cost lens — what each result means for the real 5-year cost of owning the car.
The ranking
A representative selection of 2025 Top Safety Pick+ winners across segments. See the IIHS site for the full list of all 66 winners.
- Honda Accord Midsize car. Top Safety Pick+
- Toyota Camry Midsize car. Top Safety Pick+
- Hyundai Ioniq 6 Midsize car (EV). Top Safety Pick+
- Honda Civic (sedan & hatchback) Small car. Top Safety Pick+
- Mazda 3 (sedan & hatchback) Small car. Top Safety Pick+
- Subaru Forester Small SUV. Top Safety Pick+
- Lexus NX Small luxury SUV. Top Safety Pick+
- Honda Passport Midsize SUV. Top Safety Pick+
- Infiniti QX60 Midsize luxury SUV. Top Safety Pick+
- Kia Sorento Midsize SUV. Top Safety Pick+
- Volkswagen Atlas Midsize SUV. Top Safety Pick+
- Genesis G80 Luxury car. Top Safety Pick+
- Volvo EX90 Luxury SUV (EV). Top Safety Pick+
- Toyota Tundra Only large pickup to earn Pick+. Top Safety Pick+
- Tesla Cybertruck Built after April 2025. Top Safety Pick+
Standard Top Safety Pick winners
Examples of vehicles earning the standard (lower-tier) 2025 Top Safety Pick.
- Tesla Model 3 Top Safety Pick
- Hyundai Palisade Top Safety Pick
- Acura ADX Top Safety Pick
Why this matters for your cost of ownership
Crash-test ratings feed directly into what you pay for insurance. Insurers price collision and injury risk, and vehicles that protect occupants and avoid crashes — exactly what IIHS measures — tend to generate fewer and smaller claims. Strong safety ratings can lower your premium and reduce the chance of a total loss. Since insurance is one of the three largest ongoing costs of ownership, a safer car can quietly trim your five-year total. Use our TCO calculator with a real insurance quote for the specific model to see the effect.
Open the 5-Year TCO calculatorHow this ranking is measured
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an independent, insurance-industry-funded research organization. To earn 2025 Top Safety Pick+, a vehicle must earn 'good' ratings in the small overlap front and updated side crash tests, an 'acceptable' or 'good' rating in the pedestrian front crash-prevention evaluation, and 'acceptable' or 'good' headlights across all trims and packages. The plus (+) tier additionally requires a 'good' rating in the moderate overlap front test; the standard Top Safety Pick accepts an 'acceptable' rating there. Because awards are added throughout the year and depend on build date, always confirm the exact trim and build month on the IIHS website.
Source: IIHS, Top Safety Pick+ Awards (2025). 66 vehicles earned 2025 Top Safety Pick+ and 18 earned the standard Top Safety Pick, per the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. View the original study ↗
Frequently asked questions
What is the safest car for 2025?
There is no single 'safest car' — instead, 66 vehicles earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award for 2025, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's highest rating. Winners span every segment, from the Honda Civic and Mazda 3 among small cars to the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord among midsize cars, the Subaru Forester and Lexus NX among SUVs, and the Toyota Tundra among large pickups.
What's the difference between Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+?
Both require good crash protection and crash-avoidance performance. The Top Safety Pick+ (the higher tier) additionally requires a 'good' rating in the moderate overlap front test, while the standard Top Safety Pick accepts an 'acceptable' rating there. The '+' models are the safest of the safe.
Do safer cars cost less to insure?
Often, yes. Insurers price the risk and cost of claims, and vehicles that protect occupants and help avoid crashes tend to produce fewer injury and liability claims. Safety is only one of many rating factors (your record, location, and the car's repair cost also matter), so always compare actual quotes — but a strong IIHS rating is a point in your favor.
Why does the award depend on the build date?
Manufacturers sometimes change headlights, sensors, or structures partway through a model year. IIHS only certifies the configurations it tested, so an award may apply only to vehicles built after a certain month. Check the exact trim and build date against the IIHS listing before relying on it.
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