Two Popular SUVs Just Nabbed IIHS Top Safety Pick+: One Has A Catch

IIHS now reserves its toughest Top Safety Pick+ rating for the latest Kia Telluride and Tesla Model Y builds that ace crash and avoidance tests.

2027 Kia Telluride IIHS overlap crash test

Photo by: IIHS

Brian Potter

By: Brian Potter

Sep 4, at 5:14am ET

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The redesigned 2027 Kia Telluride and the 2026–27 Tesla Model Y earned IIHS Top Safety Pick+.
The Telluride award covers only 2027 models built after June 2026, after Kia fixed headlight performance.
The BMW 3 Series, BMW i4, Lexus IS, GMC Canyon, and Toyota Crown Signia earned no IIHS award.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put seven new vehicles through its toughest battery of crash tests this year. Two came out with a perfect scorecard: the redesigned 2027 Kia Telluride and the 2026-27 Tesla Model Y.

Both SUVs earned Top Safety Pick+ status, IIHS's highest honor, on September 3, 2026. The rest of the group, including some familiar names, did not clear the bar.

Top Safety Pick+ Awards

Not every Telluride off the line qualifies. IIHS limited the award to 2027 Kia Telluride models built after June 2026, since Kia had to fix headlight performance mid-cycle to earn Good ratings across every trim. Earlier builds scored only Marginal on headlights and do not make the cut.

Tesla had an easier path. The redesigned 2026-27 Model Y went into testing and came out with Good ratings across the board. It is a repeat trip to the top tier for Tesla's crossover, which has now held onto the designation through its refresh.

Five other tested vehicles missed out entirely. The BMW 3 Series, BMW i4, Lexus IS, GMC Canyon, and Toyota Crown Signia earned no IIHS award at all in this round, which is a bit of a surprise. The GMC Canyon crew cab in particular fell short under the updated crash-avoidance protocols.

The Crash Tests

Top Safety Pick+ is not a participation trophy. IIHS requires Good ratings in the small overlap front, an updated moderate overlap front test, and an updated side crash test, the last one now using a heavier barrier at higher speed to mimic real SUV-on-SUV collisions.

Headlights matter more than shoppers might expect. Every trim level has to score Acceptable or Good on nighttime visibility and glare control, which is exactly where the Telluride tripped up before Kia's mid-cycle fix.

Crash avoidance carries just as much weight as crashworthiness now. Vehicles must post strong results in the vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0 front crash-prevention evaluation and the pedestrian front crash-prevention test, both of which grade automatic emergency braking across multiple speeds and target types.

The Model Y was not flawless everywhere. The crossover earned Good marks across crash tests, headlights, and both crash-prevention evaluations, but landed only a Marginal rating on its seat belt reminder system, a smaller but real blemish on an otherwise clean sheet.

Buyers weighing the Telluride against Kia's electric lineup can check the 2027 Kia Telluride first drive review, or the Telluride's trim pricing details before comparing build dates against dealer stock.

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Motor1's Take: Telluride's headlight fix shows how build date can decide whether a unit earns the top rating. Buyers should verify headlight grades and dealer stock before committing.

Model Y's top score supports the company's safety gains but flags restraint systems and options. Expect tougher IIHS tests and shifting used-market value for models that pass.