What is the difference between an IIHS Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+? – Jalopnik

Every year, safety organizations such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conduct rigorous crash tests on the most popular car models and rate their performance to help consumers see how they performed. The NHTSA uses a five-star rating system, with more stars being better. At IIHS the scale is a little less simple.

Cars tested during the IIHS crash test are given ratings of good, acceptable, marginal or poor. Good is the highest rating, acceptable is the second best, and so on. These ratings are currently applied to three major crash categories: small overlap front, moderate overlap front, and side crash tests (for both the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle). Vehicles are also rated based on the effectiveness of their seat belt reminders, headlight performance, ease of installing child seats and frontal crash prevention in both vehicle and pedestrian scenarios.

The main difference between the IIHS Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ lies in the updated moderate overlap front test. Although the Top Safety Pick+ award requires a Good rating in this category, an Acceptable rating is usually sufficient to earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick designation. Both designations require a good rating in the small overlap test and the updated side test. Additionally, cars must receive an Acceptable or Good rating in the headlight and frontal pedestrian crash ratings for the Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ award.

This effort was quickly followed by the introduction of an updated moderate front overlap test in 2022. As before, the updated assessment assesses the impact resulting from a frontal collision where 40% of the front of the vehicle hits a barrier at 60 km/h. Unlike the original moderate overlap test at the front, the latest version adds another dummy behind the driver, making it a point to evaluate the safety of the rear passengers.

Previously, automakers had to strengthen vehicle structures and install advanced seat belts and airbag systems to achieve success in this test. However, many of these features were designed primarily for front seat occupants, leading to growing concerns about the safety of those in the back seat. Thus, the updated moderate front overlap rating is intended to encourage vehicle designs that use similarly advanced technology in the rear seat.

Safety has long been a top priority for drivers who take their well-being seriously, but tests conducted by organizations like the IIHS prove that not all cars are built to the same high standards. Depending on the vehicle segment, you can choose from several vehicles with the highest safety rating, or none. So far in 2025, a total of 53 vehicles from various segments have earned the Top Safety Pick+ award. Winners in the small car segment include the 2025 Kia K4, Honda Civic Hatchback, Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Prius and Mazda 3 (in both sedan and hatchback configurations).

Many other segments also performed well. However, the small pickup, full-size pickup and large luxury segments seem to be struggling to achieve the highest safety ratings. The 2025 Toyota Tundra crew cab pickup is the sole representative in the full-size pickup segment, while the small pickup and full-size luxury categories have no winners. Despite applying slightly less stringent criteria, the Top Safety Pick has fewer winners than the more demanding Top Safety Pick+ designation, as there are only 15 IIHS Top Safety Picks for 2025. Among them is the charming 2025 Subaru Forester, which has since strengthened its appeal with the launch of a hybrid variant.