Why So Few? The IIHS Safety Awards and the Vanishing Pickup Trucks
If you’re a truck enthusiast, you might have been surprised to see the latest Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ winners. Because the number of pickups that made the IIHS’s top ranks this year is significantly less than in 2024, raising questions about the criteria.
Last year, the Hyundai Santa Cruz, Toyota Tacoma (crew cab), Rivian R1T, Ford F-150 (crew cab and extended cab), and Toyota Tundra (crew cab and extended cab) all earned a TSP or TSP+ rating. However, for 2025, only the Rivian R1T and the crew cab Toyota Tundra made the cut. This represents a substantial reduction, particularly since none of these pickups underwent a new generation change for 2025.
So, what’s behind this shift?
When questioned by Road & Track, IIHS spokesperson Joe Young shed some light on why so many pickups have fallen off the list.
“Several pickups that qualified for safety awards under our less stringent 2024 criteria have fallen off this year’s list due to lackluster performance in [the] updated moderate overlap crash test,” Young explained.
The updated test now considers a rear seat passenger dummy representing a “small woman or 12-year-old child” for the first time. Previously, only front occupant safety was evaluated.
In the case of the Ford F-150, the IIHS reported a “poor” rating due to the seat belt’s failure to adequately restrain the occupant. Young noted that the dummy experienced “submarining,” which “is dangerous because it puts high belt forces into the organs and even spine of an occupant, increasing the risk of injury.”
The Hyundai Santa Cruz, a small pickup, also missed out on the TSP rating this year for similar reasons. It received a “marginal” rating on the moderate overlap test, with the IIHS citing “issues with the shoulder belt and risk of head/neck injury for the rear dummy.”
There’s more to the story than just the rigorous testing. According to Young, the IIHS simply hasn’t had time to test every new pickup yet. The Tacoma, along with the Chevrolet Colorado and the extended cab version of the Tundra, are still pending assessment.
“As with past years, we’ll continue testing vehicles and naming additional Top Safety Picks throughout the year,” Young assured. “We’re hoping to see a few more pickups qualify so that consumers considering a small or large pickup have more options that make the grade for crashworthiness, crash prevention technology and headlight performance.”
The outlook for pickups may improve once test results for other 2025 models are available under the new IIHS evaluation standards. However, only time will tell.
