The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has officially released its Top Safety award recipients for 2026.
IIHS Top Safety Pick+ winners include the Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry. The Honda Accord was awarded the IIHS designation of Top Safety Pick.
Here’s a breakdown of how these midsize cars performed during testing and what drivers should know about each model.
2026 Hyundai Sonata Receives the IIHS Top Safety Award
Hyundai’s Sonata is an affordable South Korean midsize car that’s known for its strong value proposition. The Sonata received the highest grade of “Good” for all crashworthiness categories including small overlap front crashes, moderate overlap front crashes and side crashes.
The 2026 Hyundai Sonata starts at $27,450. It uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine to produce 191 horsepower. The Sonata earns 28 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway.
Hyundai’s midsize car comes with standard safety features like lane-keeping assist, driver-attention warning and blind-spot collision warning. In terms of safety, affordability and value, the Sonata is easily one of the best options in its segment.
2026 Toyota Camry Is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+
Toyota’s midsize car is a sales leader in its segment and has built a reputation of practicality and dependability. It earned grades of “Good” for all three of the IIHS crashworthiness categories, like the Hyundai Sonata.
The 2026 Toyota Camry starts at $29,100. It uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain to produce 225 horsepower. The midsize hybrid sedan achieves 52 mpg in the city and 49 mpg on the highway, which is spectacular for its segment.
The Camry comes standard with a long list of safety features including a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, proactive driving assist and lane-tracing assist. It’s one of the most well-rounded new midsize cars on the market and has fantastic fuel economy.
Honda’s Midsize Car Earns Top Safety Marks From IIHS
The Honda Accord is a longtime Camry rival and one of the most competitive options in its segment. It’s an IIHS 2026 Top Safety Pick, earning perfect crashworthiness scores across the organization’s three crash-testing categories.
Honda’s midsize car starts at $28,395. It uses a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine to produce 192 horsepower. The 2026 Accord earns 29 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway.
The 2026 Honda Accord features a standard collision mitigation braking system, a road departure mitigation system and traffic sign recognition. It’s sportier than some of its key rivals and still remains affordable.
If you’re looking for a new midsize car in 2026, there are plenty of models that have earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s stamp of approval. These new cars aren’t just safe, they also provide great value and standard features.
Charles Singh is an Autos Connect Reporter for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY network. Contact him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: These 2026 midsize cars are top safety picks and they’re under $30K
Reporting by Charles Singh , USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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