Hyundai Achieves More Safety Awards Than Any Other Automaker

Advancements in technology are making cars safer than ever, reducing the risk of injury during a crash. To highlight this, the Institute for Highway Safety has crash-tested dozens of new 2021 models, 49 of which earned the highest Top Safety Pick+ award – more than double compared to last year.

Another 41 cars earned a Top Safety Pick award, bringing the total number of 2021 award winners to 90. This is up from 64 in February 2020. But there’s one automaker that came out on top: Hyundai. Out of every manufacturer, Hyundai Motor Group, which includes the Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis brands, earned the most 2021 IIHS safety awards, with 12 regular Top Safety Picks and five Plus awards.

In total, seven Hyundai models were awarded for their advanced safety technology, with the Hyundai Palisade and Nexo earning the top-tier Safety Pick+ award. The Veloster, Sonata, Kona, Tucson, and Venue were also awarded a Top Safety Pick. Some of these models required specific headlights to earn the award, while others also required optional frontal crash protection. Kia K5 models built after November 2020 also earned the prestigious Top Safety Pick+ award, while the Kia Sorento and Telluride achieved a Top Safety Pick. With optional front crash prevention, the Kia Forte, Soul, Seltos, and Sportage also earned a Top Safety Pick.

“Achieving an IIHS Top Safety Pick for our vehicles demonstrates our commitment to safety and occupant protection,” said Brian Latouf Chief Safety Officer, Hyundai Motor North America.

“We are very pleased with these results and the award winning safety performance of our vehicles.” Hyundai’s latest achievement is no small feat since the IIHS’ safety requirements are stricter than ever. To qualify for a TSP and TSP+ award, a car needs to earn “Good” ratings in all six IIHS crashworthiness tests.

These include the driver- and passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. In addition, the front crash prevention technology needs to be earn a “Superior” or “Advanced” rating in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian tests. Headlights also need to be awarded “Good” or “Acceptable,” while the Plus award requires models to have “Good” or “Acceptable” headlights on all trim levels and packages. As automakers have worked to improve headlight technology, the number of cars that qualified for a Top Safety Pick+ award doubled this year from 23 last year.