Here Are the Safest Car Brands in the U.S. in 2022, According to the IIHS

With every new model, carmakers make their vehicles safer and smarter at preventing accidents. New advanced driver assistance systems are increasingly relied upon to avoid the accidents altogether rather than just mitigate the results. New, improved headlights technologies also come standard as opposed to optional, helping the drivers to better see the surroundings at night. This latter change alone is credited with the surge in the number of models included in this year’s IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award tier.

Besides the 65 models included in the top tier list, another 36 models made it to the second tier Top Safety Pick award list, raising the total to 101 winners overall. Only 90 winners were recorded last year. Being included on this coveted list of the safest vehicles in the country shows the carmakers are committed to designing and building safer cars.

Hyundai Motor Group, which includes the Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis brands, has the most 2022 awards overall and the most awards in each category. This means 11 Top Safety Pick+ and 10 Top Safety Pick wins for a total of 21. Volvo is also high on the list with 10 Top Safety Pick+ awards, while the Volkswagen Group, which included VW and Audi brands, earned eight Top Safety Pick+ and their Top Safety Pick awards.

This year’s top shows four minivans made it to the ranks, compared to only two last year. These are the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Pacifica, and Kia Carnival. Four pickup trucks — the Ram 1500 crew cab, Ford F-150 extended cab and crew cab, and the Hyundai Santa Cruz — also made the list. Back in 2021, only the Ram 1500 crew cab qualified for an award.

All the 2022 award winners had to pass six IIHS crashworthiness tests and all of them were featured with front crash prevention systems that earn advanced or superior ratings in both the vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations. At least one headlight system that earns a good or acceptable rating was also fitted, although a total of 31 models come exclusively with good-rated headlights.

The award criteria for the 2022 rating remained unchanged from last year. Things will change though for the 2023 awards with two new evaluations criteria. First, there will be an updated side test conducted at a higher speed and with a heavier movable barrier. And second, a nighttime pedestrian crash prevention test will become part of the evaluation. Also, starting next year, only vehicles that come with standard good or acceptable headlights across all trims and packages will be eligible for either award.