WASHINGTON — More than 70 vehicle models are ranking as some of the safest on the road, according to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s annual list.
The IIHS released their list of the top safety picks Tuesday and 71 vehicles earned the honors for 2015. Thirty-three vehicles made the prestigious Top Safety Pick+ list, while the others were named Top Safety Pick winners.
This year, the number of top safety pick vehicles increased from 39 in 2014.
“The list of top safety pick winners is longer in 2015 because automakers are making changes to get the best ratings,” says IIHS President Adrian Lund. “They’re improving small overlap crash protection and they are adding front-crash prevention systems to more mainstream vehicles.”
The list comes out at the tail end of a year swamped with news of faulty ignition switches and airbag recalls.
The list uses results from crash test ratings to determine the picks.
The vehicles that make the list have a “good” or “acceptable” rating in the small overlap front crash test, along with good ratings in the other four crash test evaluations. Additionally, the Top Safety Pick+ winners must have an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention.
The Top Safety Pick+ vehicles include:
Small cars
- Lexus CT 200h (built after September 2014)
- Mazda 3
- Subaru Impreza
- Subaru XV Crosstrek
- Toyota Prius
Midside Moderately Priced Cars
- Chrysler 200
- Mazda 6
- Subaru Legacy
- Subaru Outback
- Toyota Camry
- Toyota Prius v
Midsize Luxury Cars
- Acura TLX
- Audi A3
- BMW 2 series
- Infiniti Q50
- Volvo S60
- Volvo V60
Large Family Car
- Toyota Avalon
Large Luxury Cars
- Acura RLX
- Hyundai Genesis
- Infiniti Q70 (except V-8 4WD)
- Lexus RC
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- Volvo S80
Small SUVs
- Toyota Highlander
Midsize Luxury SUVs
- Acura MDX
- Lexus NX
- Mercedes-Benz M-Class
- Volvo XC60
Minivans
- Toyota Sienna
Get the list of all of the ratings and top safety picks on the IIHS website.
Watch a video about the safety picks and process:
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