The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) regularly updates its crash-testing standards, which often knocks some vehicles out of contention for a Top Safety Pick award, but Mazda put up a strong showing. The IIHS recently released its list of 2025 Top Safety picks, and the automaker has earned more awards than any other so far this year.
Tightening crash-test standards cut the number of Top Safety Pick award winners from 71 in 2024 to 48 this year. IIHS president David Harkey said, “We’re once again challenging automakers to make their new models even safer than those they were building a year ago. Every vehicle that earns a 2025 award offers a high level of safety in both the front seat and the second row.”
Only 36 of those earned the best Top Safety Pick + designation. One of the primary drivers of that change came from the IIHS’ updated moderate overlap front crash tests, which added a second dummy behind the driver’s seat with a focus on rear-seat safety. Vehicles must earn an Acceptable rating to receive a Top Safety Pick and a Good score to earn a Top Safety Pick +.
While scores and testing can be updated throughout the year, American brands had a particularly poor showing in early 2025 crash tests. The Ford Mustang Mach-E and Lincoln Nautilus earned Top Safety Pick + awards, while the Chevrolet Traverse grabbed a Top Safety Pick.
[Images: Mazda]
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