IIHS updates its testing criteria to focus on pedestrians and back-seaters
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety believes carmakers need tougher safety challenges, so it changed some criteria of its testing regimen to focus on problem areas. Moving the goalposts for this is primarily intended to address safety needs for those in the back seat and the nagging issue of pedestrian deaths via pedestrian-avoidance technology. The IIHS noted, “Pedestrians represent an increasingly large share of crash deaths, and pedestrian fatalities are currently at their highest level since the early 1980s. Most pedestrian crashes occur during the day, when there are more people on the roads, but three-quarters of fatal pedestrian crashes happen at night.”
The organization updated its 2023 tests as well, which had the result of culling the list of Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ award recipients from 101 in 2022 to 48 at the beginning of 2023. Automakers got the memo ahead of time, with the IIHS saying that 71 vehicles won laurels in the revised 2024 testing, an improvement of 23 vehicles compared to 2023.
Starting with the tough new side-impact test inaugurated last year, which uses a heavier ram vehicle to better emulate crashes with heavier modern cars, automakers previously could earn the Top Safety Pick award with a rating of either “Acceptable” or “Good”. For 2024, a “Good” result is required to get the award.
The pedestrian crash prevention test protocol is changed. Instead of judging a vehicle’s ability to detect and avoid hitting people in the daytime and nighttime separately, the new test issues a single result for tests run in the day and the night. In 2023, vehicles could earn the Top Safety Pick even if they couldn’t detect or avoid pedestrians in the dark. In 2024, to get either award, a vehicle must earn an “Advanced” or “Superior” rating in the test, mandating a minimum standard of performance at night.
In the IIHS famed moderate overlap test, the rating requirements haven’t changed, but the organization added a third dummy in the seat behind the driver. That means the required “Good” rating takes another vehicle occupant into account.
For the 2024 model year, IIHS Top Safety Pick winners are:
Small Cars
Midsize Cars
Large Car
Midsize Luxury Cars
Large Luxury Cars
Small SUVs
Midsize SUVs
Large SUVs
Audi Q7
Audi Q8 e-tron
Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron
Rivian R1S
Midsize Luxury SUVs
Acura RDX
Audi Q4 e-tron
Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron
Genesis Electrified GV70
Genesis GV70 built after November 2023
Infiniti QX60
Lexus NX
Lexus NX Plug-in Hybrid
Lexus RX
Mercedes-Benz GLC
Volvo XC90
Volvo XC90 Recharge
Minivans
Honda Odyssey
Toyota Sienna
Small Pickup
Large Pickups
Rivian R1T crew cab
Toyota Tundra crew cab
Toyota Tundra extended cab
And IIHS Top Safety Pick+ winners:
Small Cars
Acura Integra
Mazda 3 hatchback
Mazda 3 sedan
Toyota Prius
Midsize Cars
Honda Accord
Hyundai Ioniq 6
Large Luxury Car
Small SUVs
Genesis GV60
Honda HR-V
Hyundai Kona
Mazda CX-30
Mazda CX-50 (built after August 2023)
Midsize SUVs
Ford Explorer
Kia Telluride
Mazda CX-90
Nissan Pathfinder (built after November 2023)
Subaru Ascent
Midsize Luxury SUVs
Acura MDX
BMW X3
Genesis GV80 (built after August 2023)
Mercedes-Benz GLE Class (with optional front crash prevention)
Tesla Model Y
