When you’re buying a new car, reliability and fuel efficiency are important, but ultimately nothing is more important than safety. If your car won’t start you’ll lose time and money, but a crash in an unsafe car could mean losing a loved one or even your own life. And while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does its own crash testing, the gold standard for vehicle safety is actually the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety. It also makes sense when you think about it, as keeping drivers safe in a crash also means insurance companies spend less money.
The IIHS also regularly raises its standards, which means that while 71 vehicles were eligible for awards last year, only 48 qualified this year. Of those 48, though, 36 earned the coveted Top Safety Pick+ award. “We’re once again challenging automakers to make their new models even safer than those they were building a year ago,” IIHS President David Harkey said in a statement. “Every vehicle that earns a 2025 award offers a high level of safety in both the front seat and the second row.”
So which cars, trucks and SUVs made the cut? Let’s take a look.
Small cars
The safest small cars you can buy in 2025 are:
- Honda Civic hatchback
- Mazda 3 hatchback
- Mazda 3 sedan
Midsize cars
The safest midsize cars you can buy in 2025 are:
- Honda Accord
- Hyundai Ioniq 6
- Toyota Camry
Midsize luxury
The safest midsize luxury car you can buy in 2025 is (yes, sadly, there’s only one):
Small SUVs
The safest small SUVs you can buy in 2025 are:
- Genesis GV60
- Honda HR-V
- Hyundai Ioniq 5
- Hyundai Kona
- Hyundai Tucson
- Mazda CX-30
- Mazda CX-50
- Subaru Solterra
Midsize SUVs
The safest midsize SUVs you can buy in 2025 are:
- Ford Mustang Mach-E
- Hyundai Santa Fe (if built after November 2024)
- Kia EV9
- Kia Telluride
- Mazda CX-70 (including the plug-in hybrid)
- Mazda CX-90 (including the plug-in hybrid)
- Nissan Pathfinder
Midsize luxury SUVs
The safest midsize luxury SUVs you can buy in 2025 are:
- BMW X5
- Genesis Electrified GV70
- Genesis GV70 (if built after April 2024)
- Genesis GV80
- Lincoln Nautilus
- Mercedes-Benz GLC
- Mercedes-Benz GLE (with optional front crash prevention)
- Volvo XC90 (if built before December 2024)
Large SUVs
The safest large SUVs you can buy in 2025 are:
- Audi Q7
- Infiniti QX80
- Rivian R1S (if built after August 2024)
Pickup trucks
The safest pickup truck you can buy is (yes, sadly, there’s only one):
