Sixteen Vehicles From Hyundai Motor Group Recognized by the U.S. IIHS as the ‘Safest Cars’

Hyundai Motor Group has proven its top safety in the United States.

Hyundai Motor Group announced on the 28th that six models were selected for the “Top Safety Pick Plus (TSP+)” rating and ten models for the “Top Safety Pick (TSP)” rating in the crash test results announced by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States on the 26th (Monday).

The IIHS is a non-profit organization established in 1959 that annually evaluates the crash safety and crash prevention performance of vehicles launched in the US market and announces the results. This year, 71 models were selected, including 22 models for the TSP+ rating and 49 for the TSP rating.

Among the vehicles from Hyundai Motor Group, 16 models received a TSP or higher rating, with seven each from Hyundai and Genesis and two from Kia, the most among global automobile groups. The models that made the TSP+ rating include Ioniq 6, Kona from Hyundai, G80 electric model, GV80, GV60 from Genesis, and Telluride from Kia.

The models that received a TSP rating include Elantra, Ioniq 5, Tucson, Palisade, Santa Cruz from Hyundai, G90, G80, GV70, GV70 electric model from Genesis, and Sportage from Kia.

In particular, Telluride proved its excellent safety performance in crashes by achieving the highest rating in all evaluation categories this year and last.

The significance of these crash test results is amplified as they meet the enhanced evaluation standards from this year. Vehicles with the highest safety are given a TSP+ rating, while vehicles with good performance are given a TSP rating. The crash test announced this time applied stricter standards for rear passenger protection and pedestrian collision avoidance systems, making it more difficult to achieve excellent ratings.

In the frontal crash test, a rear seat dummy (human model) is additionally placed to check the possibility of injury to the rear seat passengers in a frontal collision and to achieve TSP+. The vehicle must receive a “good” or higher rating in this category. The side impact test has raised the qualification requirements for TSP. Previously, a “good” rating or higher was enough to receive TSP, but now both TSP and TSP+ require an “excellent” rating.

Also, in the case of the small overlap front crash test, previously, the test grades for the driver’s seat and passenger seat parts were given separately. Still, from now on, the IIHS will integrate the small overlap test for the driver’s and passenger’s seats, and the lower of the two grades will be given as the final grade.

Regarding pedestrian crash avoidance evaluation, daytime and nighttime tests were previously conducted separately. If an “excellent” or higher grade was received in the daytime test, it met the requirements for TSP. However, from now on, a “good” or higher grade must be obtained in the combined daytime and nighttime test to receive TSP+ or TSP.

To receive a TSP+ rating, vehicles must achieve the highest “excellent” rating in three crash safety evaluation items: small overlap frontal, front crash, and side crash. In addition, the daytime and nighttime front crash prevention test (vehicle and pedestrian) must receive a “good” or higher rating. All vehicle trims must receive a ‘good’ or higher rating in the headlight evaluation.

The TSP rating requires achieving “excellent” in small overlap front and side crash evaluations among three crash safety item evaluations and “excellent” in the existing evaluation items, excluding the newly established rear passenger evaluation item in the front crash evaluation. In the daytime and nighttime front crash prevention system tests (vehicle and pedestrian), a “good” or higher rating must be received. All vehicle trims must meet a “good” or higher rating in the headlight evaluation.

President of IIHS, David Harkey, praised the TSP+ and TSP award-winning models this year, saying, “They stand out without a doubt. They provide the highest level of protection not only for vehicle passengers but also for vulnerable pedestrians.”

Brian Latouf, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Safety & Quality Officer (GCSQO) of Hyundai and Kia, said, “We are proud to have proven the highest level of safety in the strengthened IIHS crash test,” and “Hyundai Motor Group will always prioritize customer safety and strive to protect the safety of both vehicle passengers and pedestrians.”