- Eight EVs have earned Top Safety Pick+ ratings from the IIHS
- The Cadillac Lyriq was not one of those EVs
- Mazda and Volvo PHEVs joined the list of Top Safety Pick+ winners
A few more electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids earned the industry’s toughest safety award with a Top Safety Pick+ rating in the year’s final round of testing by the IIHS, but one model missed out.
The IIHS toughened requirements to earn the Top Safety+ award and second-tier Top Safety Pick award this year, but eight EVs achieved Top Safety Pick+ status in the first round of awards announced in September, with a further nine models earning the lower Top Safety Pick award.
2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally
On Tuesday the IIHS announced that, after an additional round of testing meant to accommodate models that hadn’t yet undergone the updated moderate front-overlap crash test or had been changed to achieve better performance, the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E and 2025 Rivian R1S have joined the list of Top Safety Pick+ winners.
Plug-in hybrid versions of the 2025 Mazda CX-70 and 2024 and 2025 Volvo XC90 are also newly minted Top Safety Pick+ winners. No new EVs or plug-in hybrids joined the ranks of Top Safety Pick winners this time around.
To qualify for either award, vehicles now need the highest “Good” rating in the small front-overlap and updated side crash tests, an “Acceptable” or “Good” rating in the pedestrian front-crash prevention tests, and headlights with those same ratings across all trim levels. The latter requirement tripped up the 2024 Cadillac Lyriq, which received a “Poor” headlight rating.
Introduced for the 2023 model year, the Lyriq sees minor changes for 2025, as well as a price cut, but nothing that would likely impact its headlight ratings. That being said, automakers sometimes work with the IIHS to address issues found in the organization’s testing, so Cadillac could make changes that filter in later in the model year.
The Top Safety Pick+ award also requires a “Good” or “Acceptable” score in the updated moderate front-overlap test, which adds a second crash test dummy behind the driver and looks closer at rear-seat safety. A “Good” rating in the original version of this test is enough for the lower-tier Top Safety Pick award.
