The 12 Safest Cars In America—$56K Kia Crushes $100K Luxury EVs In Crash Tests
A $56,000 electric SUV is matching or beating the crash safety performance of vehicles that cost nearly twice as much. The 2025 Kia EV9 has earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s highest Top Safety Pick+ rating under newly tightened standards, placing it alongside luxury EVs from Volvo, Rivian, Audi, Genesis, and Tesla. These results reflect stricter testing focused on rear seat protection and crash avoidance. As fewer vehicles qualify, each award carries more weight. The biggest takeaway is clear. Safety leadership in electric vehicles is shifting fast, and price is no longer the deciding factor.
Tougher Crash Standards Change The Game
The IIHS has tightened its evaluation process, placing more emphasis on rear seat safety, crash avoidance systems, and headlight performance. These updates have reduced the number of vehicles qualifying for Top Safety Pick+, especially among heavier EVs balancing battery weight and structure. Fewer winners means each qualifying model stands out more clearly. This list focuses on EVs meeting or aligning with these updated benchmarks. Understanding these stricter rules explains why certain vehicles stand out today, starting with a compact crossover that quietly set the tone for mainstream safety.
1. Hyundai Ioniq 5
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has secured a Top Safety Pick+ rating under the latest IIHS criteria, placing it among the safest electric crossovers currently tested. Its achievement matters because it targets a more accessible price range while still meeting demanding crash and safety standards. This proves advanced safety engineering is no longer limited to luxury tiers. The Ioniq 5 helps establish a baseline for evaluating value driven EVs. Its success leads directly to another model that blends premium design with equally strong safety validation across categories.
2. Genesis GV60
The Genesis GV60 combines upscale design with verified safety performance, earning Top Safety Pick+ recognition under updated IIHS testing. Strong results in front and side crash tests, along with effective driver assistance and lighting systems, confirm its standing. As a compact premium EV, it shows how smaller vehicles can match larger SUVs in safety outcomes. This comparison highlights how awards now allow fair evaluation across segments. The GV60’s position raises a broader question about mainstream competitors closing the gap, especially when looking at a well known American EV.
3. Mustang Mach E
The Ford Mustang Mach E has achieved a 2025 Top Safety Pick+ rating, placing it firmly within the highest IIHS safety category. This recognition confirms strong crash protection, advanced avoidance systems, and compliant headlights under stricter standards. Its presence strengthens the idea that both mainstream and premium EVs can reach identical safety benchmarks. The Mach E bridges performance appeal with practical safety validation. That balance becomes even more relevant when considering larger family focused vehicles now entering the same conversation with evolving engineering priorities.
4. Hyundai Ioniq 9
The Hyundai Ioniq 9 represents the next step in large electric SUV development, built on engineering foundations that have already earned top safety awards. While full IIHS results continue to emerge, its design targets stronger crash structures, improved rear seat protection, and advanced driver assistance systems. These priorities reflect the direction of modern safety standards. Large family EVs are now engineered to compete directly with luxury models in protection. That forward looking approach sets the stage for the model that defines this entire shift in value and safety alignment.
5. Kia EV9
The 2025 Kia EV9 delivers three row practicality alongside a Top Safety Pick+ rating, starting around $56,000 USD. This places it in the same safety category as vehicles like the Volvo EX90, Rivian R1S, and Tesla Cybertruck, many starting above $80,000 USD. Families no longer need to spend luxury level budgets to access top tier crash protection. The EV9 transforms safety into a measurable value advantage. That comparison becomes even clearer when stacked against established European luxury models entering the same safety tier.
6. Audi Q6 e tron
The Audi Q6 e-tron lineup, including both SUV and Sportback versions, is built on a platform designed for modern crash standards from the ground up. Strong results in front and side impacts combine with advanced pedestrian detection and high-performance lighting systems to support top safety ratings. Buyers can choose between practicality and a sportier design without sacrificing protection or driver assistance. This positions the Q6 e-tron as a benchmark in the midsize luxury EV segment, showing that style-focused variants can still deliver consistent, verified safety performance.
7 – Genesis Electrified GV70
The Genesis Electrified GV70 has earned Top Safety Pick+ under the updated IIHS standards, reinforcing Genesis as a serious contender in both luxury and safety. Known for premium interiors and technology, it now matches those qualities with top level crash performance and driver assistance systems. This places it directly alongside higher priced competitors while sharing the same safety benchmark as more affordable options. That contrast sharpens the conversation around value as the list moves into sleeker electric sedans.
8 – Rivian R1S
The Rivian R1S has secured a 2025 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, making it one of the few large electric SUVs to achieve this rating. Designed for adventure and off road capability, it still delivers strong crash protection and advanced safety systems. Pricing typically starts in the high $70,000 range and can exceed $100,000 depending on configuration. This creates a clear contrast with the EV9’s lower entry point, raising an important question about whether higher cost always brings higher safety.
9 – Volvo EX90
The Volvo EX90 carries forward a long standing reputation for safety, earning Top Safety Pick+ recognition among large electric SUVs. Its advanced crash structures, occupant protection systems, and driver assistance features meet the latest IIHS standards. With starting prices around $80,000, it represents a traditional benchmark for safety focused buyers. Yet the comparison with the EV9 introduces a new perspective on value, especially as the final vehicle on this list takes a completely different approach.
10 – Tesla Cybertruck
The Tesla Cybertruck has earned a 2025 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, becoming one of the first full size electric pickups to reach this level. Strong crash test performance and advanced crash avoidance technology highlight Tesla’s focus on occupant protection. Its design and pricing differ sharply from traditional SUVs, yet it shares the same top safety rating. That wide range of vehicles holding identical recognition reveals how much the landscape has shifted, leaving one final takeaway about what safety truly means today.
11 – Tesla Model Y
The Tesla Model Y blends mass-market reach with strong crash protection, making it one of the most influential vehicles in today’s safety landscape. It consistently earns top-tier ratings for both crashworthiness and crash-avoidance systems, supported by responsive automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping technology. Its low center of gravity, created by the battery pack, improves stability during sudden maneuvers. Broad availability and multiple trims ensure these safety features reach a wide audience. The Model Y shows how high production volume can align with advanced occupant protection without compromise.
12 – Subaru Solterra
The Subaru Solterra carries the brand’s long-standing safety focus into the electric era, combining compact SUV practicality with solid crash-test performance. Developed alongside Toyota, it features a rigid structure and a refined suite of driver-assistance systems designed to prevent accidents before impact. Subaru’s emphasis on all-weather capability enhances control when grip is reduced. Inside, clear visibility and simple controls help minimize distraction. For buyers seeking a smaller electric SUV with dependable safety credentials, the Solterra proves compact size does not limit meaningful protection.
Sources:
2026 TOP SAFETY PICKs. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2026.
2026 KIA K4 And EV9 Earn 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Awards. PR Newswire, March 24, 2026.
Build & Price Your 2026 Kia EV9. Kia America, 2026.
Tesla Cybertruck Only Pickup Truck To Earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ This Year. Road & Track, March 24, 2026.
Rivian’s R1S Earns Top IIHS Rating While R1T Falls Short Under Tougher Rules. Electric Vehicles, March 23, 2026.
2026 Rivian R1S Prices, Reviews, And Pictures. Edmunds, October 29, 2025.
