Overall awards were given to 57 vehicles, but only one was awarded to an American automaker.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced the 2019 Top Safety Picks. 30 vehicles were awarded the highest honor with Top Safety Pick+. Vehicles must have a high rating for front-crash protection, including passenger-side overlap. They also need to have well-rated headlights. This is in addition to satisfying the requirements for the next level, known as the Top Safety Pick, where 27 additional vehicles were eligible for an award. All in all, 57 candidates were chosen as the top picks.
Vehicles must be able to pass the passenger-side overlap test and have good ratings in all five crashworthiness tests. To be considered, vehicles must have an optional or standard automatic emergency brake system. This year, it is harder to earn the extra + award. Last year, the passenger-side overlap required an acceptable rating in order to win the title.
Which cars won the gold? Let’s talk about the cars you won’t see. The Top Safety Picks didn’t include a single pickup truck, even if it was at the plus level. It’s the only category that didn’t qualify for an award, apart from microcars. Although the new Ram 1500 was close to winning, it was unable to make it into the winner’s circle because of its underperforming headlights.
Subaru was the leader in safety, with seven models receiving the highest award. These range from small cars such as the WrX to large SUVs like the Ascent. Hyundai was also a strong performer. However, when you consider Kia and Genesis, the automaker scored more wins than Subaru. The award went to seven models, from small cars like the a href=”https://www.motor1.com/subaru/wrx/”>WRX/a>, to the large a href=”https://www.motor1.com/subaru/ascent/”>Ascent/a> SUV.
U.S. automakers are not included in the overall list. Only one American vehicle was included in the Top Safety Picks list – the Chrysler Pacifica Minivan.
The complete list of models is available at IIHS, along with a summary of near misses and judging criteria.