The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced the recipients of its 2024 Top Safety Pick+ and Top Safety Pick awards. This year’s list includes 48 vehicles that have met the stringent new criteria. Note that both the number of winners, and the requirements, changed for 2024.
New Testing, Stricter Standards
The IIHS has updated its testing protocols, including the moderate overlap test that now evaluates rear-seat passenger safety. This change has significantly impacted vehicle scores. To earn the Top Safety Pick+ award, vehicles now need a ‘Good’ rating in this updated test. If a vehicle receives a ‘Acceptable’ rating, it qualifies only for the basic Top Safety Pick award. Some vehicles are still undergoing the new tests, but many have already seen their scores affected. In particular the truck segment saw numerous trucks perform poorly in the rear occupant safety tests, leading to lower overall ratings. These stricter standards have resulted in a shorter list of winners compared to previous years.
Only two pickup trucks earned safety awards: the Toyota Tundra and the Rivian R1T.
2025 Rivian R1T Truck
- Base MSRP: $69,900
- Make: Rivian
- Base Trim Engine: Electric
- Horsepower: 533-850 hp
- Torque: 610-1,103 lb-ft
- Drivetrain: All-wheel drive
- Towing Capacity: 7,700-11,000 lbs
- Fuel Economy: 85/72 MPGe
Toyota Tundra Takes Top Honors
The Toyota Tundra stands out as the only pickup truck to receive the Top Safety Pick+ award. It achieved the highest ‘Good’ ratings in the small and moderate overlap front tests, as well as the side test. The Tundra also features standard headlights rated as ‘Acceptable,’ and optional headlights earning ‘Good’ ratings. The automatic emergency braking system performed well, receiving an ‘Acceptable’ rating for pedestrian safety.
The Tundra’s performance in protecting rear passengers set it apart from comparable full-size pickup trucks. While the Tundra had a ‘Good’ rating in all aspects of rear passenger safety, the Ram 1500, Chevy Silverado 1500, and Ford F-150 received ‘Marginal’ and ‘Poor’ ratings in various areas. As a result, the IIHS rates all three of those trucks as ‘Poor’ in the moderate overlap front test.
The Nissan Titan has not yet been evaluated using the new test standards, so it currently doesn’t have an updated safety rating.
Rivian R1T: Still Safe, but Not the Top Pick+
The Rivian R1T, which earned the Top Safety Pick+ award last year, has been downgraded to just Top Safety Pick. The primary factor in this change was its performance in the moderate overlap test, where it received an ‘Acceptable’ rating. Despite receiving ‘Good’ overall crash test results, the seat belts and kinematics were negatively affected. For example, the lap portion of the belt didn’t optimally position itself, lowering that score to ‘Marginal,’ and affecting the overall score.
Interestingly, the R1S, the SUV version of the R1T, earned the Top Safety Pick+ award. It did not experience the same seat belt issues and received a ‘Good’ overall rating in the moderate front overlap test, enabling it to receive the highest award. Even with the rating change, the R1T still performed well, achieving ‘Good’ ratings in the small overlap and side tests, just like the R1S. The R1T even surpassed the Tundra in one area: front crash prevention. The IIHS gave the R1T a ‘Good’ rating for its automatic braking system, compared to the Tundra’s ‘Acceptable’ rating.
