Tesla and Kia earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ awards

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the Top Safety Pick+ designation to the 2027 Kia Telluride and the 2026-27 Tesla Model Y. These were the only two vehicles among seven newly tested models to achieve the highest safety honor.

The Tesla Model Y, which was redesigned for the 2026 model year, earned Good ratings across all crash, headlight, and front crash prevention categories.

The 2027 Kia Telluride received the award with a specific condition: it applies only to units produced after June 2026. This restriction follows a mid-cycle headlight upgrade implemented by Kia to resolve earlier marginal ratings that had prevented the vehicle from qualifying.

Five other tested models failed to earn an award. The BMW i4, BMW 3 Series, Lexus IS, GMC Canyon, and Toyota Crown Signia did not meet the necessary thresholds in categories such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) front crash prevention, headlight performance, or small overlap front crash tests.