The safest cars to buy in 2026 are the ones that earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s TOP SAFETY PICK+ award under its toughest rules yet. Below are ten of them: six cars and four SUVs. Each pick shows what it did well in testing and where it fell short.
Updated November 13, 2026.
Safest cars to buy in 2026 at a glance
Most of my driving has been on Mountain West back roads. That means two-lane highways at night, long stretches with no streetlights, and winters that put a block heater on the shopping list. So when I read a crash report, I go straight to the headlight and nighttime pedestrian results. A car that protects you well in a crash is good. A car that sees trouble early enough to skip the crash is better.
The table sums up the picks. “V2V” is the IIHS score for automatic braking toward another vehicle. The rear-seat column shows how well the belts held a back-seat passenger in the front crash test.
| Car | Type | V2V braking | Headlights | Rear-seat restraints |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Camry | Midsize sedan | Good | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Subaru Outback | Midsize SUV | Good | Good | Acceptable |
| Subaru Forester | Small SUV | Good | Good | Good |
| Hyundai Sonata | Midsize sedan | Acceptable | Good | Acceptable |
| Mazda 3 | Small car | Acceptable | Good or Acceptable by trim | Acceptable |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | Small electric SUV | Acceptable | Good or Acceptable by trim | Good |
| Nissan Sentra | Small car | Acceptable | Good | Acceptable |
| Kia K4 | Small car | Acceptable | Acceptable | Good |
| Honda HR-V | Small SUV | Acceptable | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Genesis G80 | Large luxury sedan | Acceptable | Acceptable | Acceptable |
All ratings come from each model’s page on the IIHS ratings site. In addition, every car here scored Good in the small overlap, updated moderate overlap and updated side crash tests.
How the IIHS picks the safest cars
The IIHS is funded by auto insurers, and it crashes cars on purpose so it can rate them. It announced its 2026 winners on March 24, 2026. This year the bar went up in three ways, according to the IIHS announcement.
- A Good rating in the updated moderate overlap test is now required for both awards. That test puts a small-adult dummy in the back seat.
- TOP SAFETY PICK+ now needs a Good score in pedestrian crash prevention, up from Acceptable.
- The new vehicle-to-vehicle braking test now counts. It runs at 31, 37 and 43 mph toward a car, a motorcycle and a semitrailer.
Headlights also have to be Acceptable or Good on every trim, and the braking system must be standard. In other words, the base model has to earn the award too.
The 10 safest cars for 2026
I ordered these by the results that separate them, since all ten passed the same crash tests. First comes braking toward other vehicles, then headlights, then back-seat protection.
1. Toyota Camry
The Camry stopped for the car target and the motorcycle target in every run, at all three speeds, centered and off-center. Only three cars on this list did that. Its pedestrian score is Good, and both seat belt reminders and LATCH child-seat anchors also rated Good. The weak spot is the headlights. Low beams on the LE and SE trims were inadequate on both left curves. The Camry is now sold only as a hybrid, and Cars.com puts it just over $30,000 with destination.
2. Subaru Outback
The Outback was redesigned for 2026, and the IIHS now calls it a midsize SUV. It matched the Camry’s perfect braking record. Unlike the Camry, it pairs that with Good headlights on every trim, including curve-adaptive beams. Blind spot detection and rear automatic braking are standard. For back-road driving, that combination is hard to beat. One caveat: on low beams, it only slowed for the 37 mph nighttime pedestrian test instead of stopping.
3. Subaru Forester
The Forester also went perfect on vehicle braking. Subaru changed its rear belts for 2026. As a result, it and the Ioniq 5 are the only picks here rated Good on every rear-passenger measure in the moderate overlap test. Headlights are Good on all trims. The catch is the high beams, which rated inadequate on the left side of a straight road. Blind spot detection costs extra, too.
4. Hyundai Sonata
The Sonata’s low beams rated good on the straightaway and in every curve, and they never went over the glare limit. Furthermore, it avoided every pedestrian in testing, at night, with either beam setting. Blind spot detection and rear automatic braking come standard. Braking toward a motorcycle at 43 mph only cut speed by 9 mph. Buy one built after November 2024, when Hyundai changed the rear seat belts.
5. Mazda 3
The Mazda 3 comes as a sedan or hatchback, and both earned the award. Pedestrian results were clean: it avoided every crossing and parallel walker in testing. Its LATCH rating is G+, which means a third seat can borrow lower anchors for a child seat. On the other hand, vehicle braking was mixed. It avoided the motorcycle in only three of six runs. Spring for the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus if you can, since only that trim has Good headlights.
6. Hyundai Ioniq 5
The Ioniq 5 is the electric pick. Every rear-passenger measure in the moderate overlap test was Good. It also stopped for the car target at all speeds. However, it missed the motorcycle at 43 mph. Trim matters here, too. The XRT and Limited get Good projector headlights, while the SE and SEL get reflector lights rated Acceptable that put out some glare.
7. Nissan Sentra
The redesigned 2026 Sentra is one of the cheaper ways onto this list. Cars.com puts it around or below $30,000. It avoided the motorcycle target at every speed, which bigger names on this list did not. Also, headlights are Good on all trims. Its weak spot, though, is the car target at 43 mph, where it only slowed to 41 mph. Rear-passenger head and neck protection was Acceptable, not Good.
8. Kia K4
The K4 avoided the car target at every speed and the motorcycle up to 37 mph. Rear-seat belts rated Good. Even so, a few details pull it down. Its seat belt reminder doesn’t check the back row at startup. Headlights are Acceptable on every trim. Blind spot detection is optional. The award covers the sedan, and the moderate overlap result does not carry over to the K4 hatchback.
9. Honda HR-V
The HR-V is the smallest SUV here, and its vehicle braking score is Acceptable. It avoided the car at 31 and 37 mph centered. At 43 mph, it cut 23 mph off the impact. Pedestrian braking, however, was Good. The bigger issue is glare. On a tight left curve, its low beams went over the glare limit about 88% of the time. Drivers coming the other way will notice.
10. Genesis G80
The G80 makes the list with a warning attached. Only cars built after June 2025 qualify. An earlier 2025 model rated Marginal in the moderate overlap test, mostly because of the back seat. Hyundai later changed the rear belts, and the newer cars rated Good. So check the build date on the label inside the driver’s door. Braking toward a motorcycle was its worst result. At 43 mph, it didn’t slow at all.
What the safest cars still can’t fix
Notice the semitrailer. In every car on this list, the IIHS only tested a warning for that target, not automatic braking. A truck trailer stopped across your lane at night is still mostly up to you.
Tires matter, too. Automatic braking can only stop as well as the rubber allows. If you drive in snow, read our guide to winter tires vs all season vs all weather.
How to shop for one of the safest cars
- Check the build date. The G80, Sonata and some Kias earn their ratings only after a certain month.
- Ask which trim you are getting. On the Mazda 3 and Ioniq 5, cheaper trims have weaker headlights.
- Look up the exact model on the IIHS site. Ratings apply to specific years and body styles.
- Ride in the back seat. Most of the gaps on this list are in rear-seat protection.
Buying for a new driver? Our list of the best cars for teen drivers covers that side. If you need more room, see the 10 safest SUVs or our picks for the best SUV for snow and ice.
Common questions about the safest cars
Are any minivans among the safest cars?
Not this year. No minivan earned either 2026 IIHS award. IIHS president David Harkey called it disappointing that minivans “continue to struggle to provide the best available protection for passengers in the back,” according to Cars.com. A three-row SUV such as the Subaru Ascent or Mazda CX-90 is the closest award-winning option.
What are the safest cars under $30,000?
Cars.com lists the Mazda 3, Nissan Sentra and Hyundai Sonata among TOP SAFETY PICK+ winners with base prices around or below $30,000. The Camry lands just over that line. Dealer pricing changes, so confirm the sticker before you shop.
Is TOP SAFETY PICK the same as TOP SAFETY PICK+?
No. Both need Good crash test results, but the plus award also requires Good pedestrian braking and at least Acceptable braking toward other vehicles. The Honda Civic hatchback, Honda Accord and Toyota Prius earned the lower award for 2026.
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