Vehicles Close Year With Safety Nods
19 are awarded one of IIHS’ two top awards, while two fail to place.

The 2024 Mach-E is one of 10 models winning IIHS' top safety award.
Ford
Nineteen models across 11 auto brands earned one of two top safety awards after recent rounds of testing.
The nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said some of the 10 new winners of its highest-level award, Top Safety Pick+, hadn’t earlier undergone a front crash test required for that nod but passed it in their first go-round to achieve the distinction.
Nine other models won the second-highest award, the Top Safety Pick.
A mix of 2024 and 2025 models underwent testing.
Winning the top award were the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Infiniti QX60, Mazda CX-70 and CX-70 PHEV, Mercedes-Benz C Class and GLC, Rivian R1S, Subaru Forester, Toyota Tundra crew cab and Volvo XC90 Plug-In Hybrid.
The Top Safety Pick winners are the Audi Q8, Ford F-150 crew cab and F-150 extended cab, Infiniti QX80, Kia K4, Mercedes-Benz E Class, Nissan Kicks, and Toyota Corolla sedan and Crown Signia.
Some versions of certain models are excluded from the award designations based on when they were manufactured.
Two models IIHS tested in the recent rounds failed to earn either award: the 2024 Cadillac Lyriq, which was disqualified due to headlights deemed “poor,” and the 2024 Ford Bronco Sport, which achieved only an “acceptable” side crash test rating.
DIG DEEPER: Vehicle Safety Ratings More Technical
Originally posted on F&I and Showroom
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