Hyundai, Mazda and Kia Among Safest Cars in 2026 Test

Hyundai, Mazda and Kia are considered to be among the safest cars to drive.

Those were among the makes that did well in the latest Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awards. The IIHS released their 2026 TOP SAFETY PICK+ and TOP SAFETY PICK awards for 2026, which the group sees as a push to automakers to improve their crash avoidance systems and improve protection for back seat passengers.

Hyundai won a total of six TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards with six models, including their Sonata, Kona, Tucson, Santa Fe, and two of their Ioniq series vehicles.

The Hyundai Kona was the cheapest small SUV that earned an award, retailing at $25,500.

Mazda had eight models and Kia had five models selected in the TOP SAFETY PICK+ category of awards.

There were 63 vehicle models that qualified for the IIHS awards in 2026, an increase from 48 in 2025. No minicars, minivans and small pickups earned any awards. There were 45 models that earned a TOP SAFETY PICK+ award while 18 earned a TOP SAFETY PICK.

The Tesla Cybertruck and Toyota Tundra crew cab were the only two large pickups to qualify for an award.

The IIHS said the biggest change in the award criteria was the addition of the new vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention test. The original evaluation focused on rear-end crashes at lower speeds using only a passenger car target. The new evaluation includes test runs at 31, 37 and 43 mph. In addition to a passenger car target, it examines performance with a motorcycle target and a semitrailer, according to the IIHS.

The test was not required for an award last year, but more than 70% of the model year 2025 vehicles evaluated earned acceptable or good ratings. So far, more than 77% of 2026 models tested meet that standard, according to the institute.