Nine small SUVs qualified for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s 2026 Top Safety Pick+ designation, which is the highest award from the insurance industry group.
The awards come as SUVs make up 35 of the 45 winners for the group’s Top Safety Pick+ designation this year, and 12 of its 18 Top Safety Pick winners, in the latest sign of the U.S. auto market shift to larger vehicles.
IIHS said it would like to see carmakers improve safety across all types of vehicles.
“This year, we’re asking automakers to make excellent protection for back seat passengers the norm,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “For TOP SAFETY PICK+, we’re requiring crash avoidance systems that are better at preventing pedestrian crashes as well as higher speed crashes with other vehicles.”
The USA TODAY Cars team took a look at the IIHS rankings and compiled a list of the safest small SUVs.
1. Genesis GV60
MSRP: $54,020
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What Genesis says: Genesis said in a press release when several of its cars won 2025 Top Safety Pick that the designation “positively promotes Genesis’ reputation as a manufacturer of safe vehicles in the U.S. market. This is because American consumers trust the IIHS’s scientific and systematic safety evaluation methods.”
2. Honda HR-V
MSRP: $26,795
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What Honda says: Honda said in a press release the HR-V and its other Top Safety Pick winners are a sign of “the company’s longstanding ‘Safety for Everyone’ approach, a commitment to advance safety for everyone sharing the road.”
3. Hyundai Ioniq 5
MSRP: $36,600
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What Hyundai says: Hyundai said in a press release, “This recognition highlights Hyundai’s dedication to achieving and maintaining the highest safety standards in the automotive industry.”
4. Hyundai Kona
MSRP: $25,500
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What Hyundai says: Hyundai said in a press release the “2026 TSP+ awards are given to vehicles that meet rigorous criteria set by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), including advanced crashworthiness and occupant protection requirements.”
5. Hyundai Tucson
MSRP: $30,800
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What Hyundai says: Hyundai said in a press release its IIHS awards highlight “the brand’s commitment to crashworthiness and occupant protection” and “safe vehicles within each category, helping consumers make informed choices.”
6. Kia Sportage
MSRP: $28,690
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What Kia says: SeungKyu (Sean) Yoon, president and CEO of Kia North America and Kia America, said in a press release, “expanding our IIHS recognition across more models reflects how we’re prioritizing protection as the agency’s standards in safety continue to evolve.”
7. Mazda CX-30
MSRP: $25,795
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What Mazda says: Mazda said in a press release its “long‑standing commitment to real‑world safety is further reflected in its historical record, having now earned 99 IIHS Top Safety awards since 2008, with 73 of those being TOP SAFETY PICK+ – a testament to nearly two decades of continuous improvement and leadership in safety engineering.”
8. Mazda CX-50
MSRP: $29,990
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What Mazda says: Mazda said in a press release, “Mazda vehicles once again rank among the safest on the road, earning eight 2026 TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), more than any other brand. This is the third consecutive year Mazda has debuted as the industry leader in the highest tier of IIHS recognition – a remarkable accomplishment considering the criteria continue to tighten each year.”
9. Subaru Forester
MSRP: $29,995
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What Subaru says: Jeff Walters, president and chief operating officer of Subaru of America, Inc., said in a press release, “earning IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards for 2026 considering the enhanced testing criteria is a defining achievement for Subaru.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here are the 9 safest small SUVs money can buy in 2026
Reporting by Keith Laing, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
