Safest SUVs and the Rest of the 2021 Top Safety Picks
Car buying can be tricky. While there is a lot out there to choose from, SUVs are hugely popular right now. But not all vehicles are built equally. If you are looking to haul the kids and dogs around in the safest SUVs, you can trust the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and their IIHS Top Safety Picks for 2021.
The IIHS, a nonprofit research and education organization, was founded in 1959 and launched their first bumper tests in 1969. Their crash tests and data collection since then have led to major life-saving advances within the auto industry. In other words, the IIHS knows a thing or two about safety.
Each year, the IIHS releases a list of their top safety picks in various vehicle categories, such as midsize SUVs, large cars, etc. Let’s take a look at how the vehicles’ ratings are determined.
TL|DR: The safest SUV’s from this year’s IIHS Top Safety picks:
TL|DR
IIHS Rating System
The IIHS rating system consists of tests that measure:
- Crashworthiness
- Crash avoidance and mitigation
- Child seat anchors
- And other available safety features (like blind spot detection)
One area that can make or break a vehicle when it comes to achieving Top Safety honors is headlight performance. According to insurance institute President David Harkey, many automakers improved on their headlights this year over last:
“We saw dramatic improvements in automakers who have figured out how to create better-performing headlights, reduce the glare for oncoming drivers and get winning scores in our headlight test.”
It’s also important to remember that larger vehicles are typically able to offer more protection than smaller cars and SUVs. Thus, protections across categories may not necessarily be equal.
However, without further adieu:
Safest SUVs and the Rest of the 2021 Top Safety Picks
Small Cars
Top Safety Pick+
- Honda Insight
- Mazda 3 hatchback
- Mazda 3 sedan
- Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid
Top Safety Pick
- Honda Civic hatchback (excluding Type R performance variant)
- Honda Civic sedan
- Hyundai Veloster (with optional front crash prevention)
- Kia Forte (with optional front crash prevention)
- Kia Soul (with optional front crash prevention)
- Nissan Sentra
- Subaru Crosstrek (with optional front crash prevention)
- Subaru Impreza sedan (with optional front crash prevention)
- Subaru Impreza wagon (with optional front crash prevention)
- Subaru WRX (with optional front crash prevention)
- Toyota Corolla hatchback
- Toyota Corolla sedan
Midsize Cars
Top Safety Pick+
- Honda Accord
- Kia K5 (built after November 2020)
- Mazda 6
- Nissan Altima
- Nissan Maxima built after November 2020
- Subaru Legacy
- Subaru Outback
- Toyota Camry
Top Safety Pick
Midsize Luxury Cars
Top Safety Pick+
- Acura TLX
- Lexus ES 350
- Lexus IS
- Tesla Model 3
- Volvo S60
- Volvo S60 Recharge
- Volvo V60
- Volvo V60 Recharge
Top Safety Pick
- Audi A4
- Audi A5 Sportback
- BMW 3 series
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class (with optional front crash prevention)
Large Luxury Cars
Top Safety Pick+
- Audi A6
- Audi A6 allroad
- Audi A7
- Genesis G70
- Genesis G90
Top Safety Pick
- Kia Stinger (with optional front crash prevention)
Small SUVs
Top Safety Pick+
- Mazda CX-3
- Mazda CX-5
- Mazda CX-30 built after September 2020
- Nissan Rogue
- Subaru Forester
Top Safety Pick
- Chevrolet Equinox
- Ford Escape
- Honda CR-V
- Hyundai Kona (with optional front crash prevention)
- Hyundai Tucson (with optional front crash prevention)
- Hyundai Venue
- Kia Seltos (built after August 2020; with optional front crash prevention)
- Kia Sportage (with optional front crash prevention)
- Lexus UX
- Lincoln Corsair
- Toyota C-HR
- Toyota RAV4
- Toyota RAV4 Prime
- Toyota Venza (with specific headlights)
Midsize SUVs
Top Safety Pick+
- Ford Explorer
- Hyundai Palisade
- Mazda CX-9
- Subaru Ascent
- Toyota Highlander
Top Safety Pick
- Ford Edge
- Kia Sorento
- Kia Telluride
- Volkswagen Tiguan
Midsize Luxury SUVs
Top Safety Pick+
- Acura RDX
- Cadillac XT6
- Hyundai Nexo
- Lexus NX
- Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class with optional front crash prevention
- Volvo XC60
- Volvo XC60 Recharge
- Volvo XC90
- Volvo XC90 Recharge
- Volvo XC40
Top Safety Pick
- Lexus RX
- Lincoln Aviator
- Mercedes-Benz GLC (with optional front crash prevention)
Large SUVs
Top Safety Pick+
- Audi e-tron
- Audi e-tron Sportback
Top Safety Pick
Minivans
Top Safety Pick+
- Honda Odyssey
- Toyota Sienna
Large Pickup
Top Safety Pick
- Ram 1500 crew cab (with optional front crash prevention)
Taking Safety a Step Further
Whether you’re already driving around in one of the safest SUVs or not, we can help you take safety to the next level. An auto insurance policy from Erie Insurance will help you to protect the things you love: Your family, your car, and even your pets! Plus, we even offer affordable rates. So what do you have to lose?
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