What are the safest cars on the road in 2023?

Dennis Romboy
·3 min read
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Honda Accord sedans are lined up in a sales lot at the Canobie Lake Honda car dealership March 13, 2023, in Salem, N.H. Cars made by Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Acura and Mazda top the list of safest vehicles on the road, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Honda Accord sedans are lined up in a sales lot at the Canobie Lake Honda car dealership March 13, 2023, in Salem, N.H. Cars made by Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Acura and Mazda top the list of safest vehicles on the road, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. | Charles Krupa, Associated Press

Cars made by Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura and Mazda top the list of safest vehicles on the road, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The annual list of cars with top scores in crash tests and other safety evaluations is growing, with further additions since the February 2023 release, per Consumer Reports. Still, the list is shorter than in previous years because the tests are getting tougher.

Fifty-one cars qualify for the highest rating, a Top Safety Pick+ award, for the 2023 model year. Another 25 cars qualify for the Top Safety Pick award this year. That’s down from 101 vehicles last year and 90 in 2021.

The main reasons for the drop are the addition of a tougher side-impact crash test, a more comprehensive evaluation of automatic emergency braking and new headlight requirements, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a safety-focused organization funded by the auto insurance industry.

“While different vehicles missed out for different reasons, the new headlight requirement is an issue for quite a few models,” said Joe Young, an insurance institute spokesman, per Consumer Reports.

More models will likely earn top safety status as the institute continues to raise the bar for the award, said Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at Consumer Reports’ auto test center. “Car manufacturers respond to tougher tests by designing new vehicles that can pass those tests,” she said.

To earn the highest ranking of Top Safety Pick+, vehicles must receive an acceptable or good score on a new side-crash test designed to replicate a higher-speed impact with a larger vehicle, such as an SUV or pickup. In addition, the vehicles must have automatic emergency braking systems that could prevent a collision with a pedestrian at nighttime and headlights that illuminate the road ahead on curves and straightaways, regardless of vehicle trim levels.

Here’s the list of vehicles receiving the Top Safety Pick+ award:

Small car

Acura Integra.

Toyota Prius.

Toyota Prius Prime.

Midsized cars

Honda Accord.

Hyundai Ioniq 6.

Subaru Outback.

Toyota Camry (built after January 2023).

Midsized luxury cars

Mercedes-Benz C Class (with optional front crash prevention).

Large luxury car

Genesis G90.

Small SUVs

Honda CR-V.

Honda HR-V.

Subaru Solterra (built after October 2022).

Small luxury SUVs

Acura RDX.

BMW X1.

Genesis GV60.

Genesis GV70, GV70 Electrified.

Lexus NX and NX Plug-in Hybrid.

Lexus RZ.

Lexus UX.

Midsized SUVs

Genesis GV80.

Honda Pilot.

Hyundai Palisade.

Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Jeep Grand Cherokee L.

Kia Telluride.

Mazda CX-90, CX-90 PHEV.

Nissan Pathfinder.

Subaru Ascent.

Toyota Highlander.

Volkswagen ID.4.

Midsized luxury SUVs

Acura MDX.

Audi Q4 E-Tron and Q4 Sportback.

Infiniti QX60.

Lexus RX.

Telsa Model Y.

Volvo XC90 and XC90 Recharge.

Large SUVs

Audi Q8, Q8 E-Tron and Q8 Sportback.

Rivian R1S.

Minivans

Honda Odyssey.

Toyota Sienna.

Large pickups

Rivian R1T.

Toyota Tundra crew cab and extended cab.