2024 IIHS Top Safety Picks: Which Family Cars Made The List
Safety is an essential part of driving, but which family cars are the most reliable?
When it comes to ranking my favorite family cars, safety is a huge piece of the puzzle. It’s an unfortunate truth that accidents while driving are a part of getting behind the wheel. While I can discuss all the latest and greatest tech features, the IIHS truly puts a vehicle’s build to the test. This means a safer cat for both you and your family.
If you’re new here - welcome! I’m Kelly the Car Mom and I want to help you find the perfect family car you feel safe to get into everyday. Without any further introduction, let’s break down what all goes into IIHS testing, plus which family cars made the 2024 IIHS Top Safety Picks.
What Is The IIHS?
Before we go into depth on what the safety tests consist of, let’s discuss who is actually testing these cars and seeing how they perform. The IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) is an organization independent from any manufacturer that’s dedicated to evaluating vehicle safety.
They conduct rigorous crash tests and assess various safety features to determine how well vehicles protect their passengers in the event of a crash.
Can I Trust IIHS Rankings?
Absolutely. The IIHS operates separately from any car-related organization meaning there is no manipulating results to make certain cars perform better than others. To take it a step further, each car tested is purchased at the dealership like an average consumer to ensure validity to how they perform off the lot
Most importantly, the IIHS is constantly trying to make their tests more difficult each year to raise the bar for manufacturers for continuous improvement of their safety standards. We love to see it!
The IIHS purchases these cars directly from the dealership lot. If a manufacturer is requesting testing on a car, they will reimburse the IIHS for that purchase.
Why Are IIHS Top Safety Rankings Important?
IIHS rankings help anyone purchasing a car avoid specific vehicles that could potentially cause harm in accidents. For families specifically, this is really important for peace of mind and overall caution when loading up your kids on a daily basis.
The IIHS breaks down their rankings into two categories:
Crashworthiness: How well a car protects occupants
Crash Avoidance/Mitigation: Technologies that prevent or lessen the severity of crashes
Together, these categories help create a full picture on what a vehicle will do to protect your family if a crash ever occurs.
What Is The IIHS Crash Test Criteria?
What the IIHS is most known for is their IIHS crash tests, which include putting pressure on the moderate overlap front, small overlap front, and sides. These crash tests will cover the entire vehicle to see how well it does if impact occurs on any side.
Beyond the crash tests, the IIHS also evaluates headlight systems and how front crash prevention technology (such as pedestrian detection) will perform on a daily basis.
They also rate seat belt reminders and LATCH which is great.
The IIHS provides so much information on what they test for each car, and if you’re interested in knowing the details of each test, I’ll leave them right here.
Is This The Same As Car Seat Safety Testing?
No, car seat testing is completely different. IIHS safety crash tests are focused on seeing how vehicles perform with adult-sized test dummies inside.
Car seat manufacturers go through their own series of tests (some very similar to what the IIHS conducts).
How Are Cars Being Tested?
During testing, vehicles are put through a series of simulations that recreate potential real-world crashes. Engineers orchestrate each scenario to gauge how well vehicles perform under pressure and protect their passengers.
To do this correctly, adult-sized test dummies are used to see the impact on human occupants in each seat in the vehicle.
What Cars Are Being Tested?
The IIHS provides a list of top safety picks, including SUVs and family cars. These vehicles prioritize safety features without compromising on other factors like price.
Family Cars On The 2024 IIHS Top Safety List
For this list, I’ve combined my Best Cars for Families list with the ones ranked as Top Safety Picks for 2024. The IIHS ranks it’s cars as either “Top Safety Pick” or “Top Safety Pick +”. To receive the +, vehicles needed to perform well during a nighttime test, along with all the other crash testing.
To be clear, this is not the complete list! My goal is to help you find a family car that checks as many of the boxes as possible and below are the cars that made the IIHS Top Safety Pick List AND as The Car Mom stamp of approval as family-friendly for many.
2024 IIHS Top Safety Picks - Large SUVs
In June 2024, the IIHS released the results for Large SUV crash test for the first time ever. They put these popular SUVs through the wringer, and I’m so grateful to them for making this possible. We’ve always thought of these large SUVs as “safe” because of their size, but it turns out there are some important areas that need more attention.
Of the three SUVs tested, only ONE was awarded the “Top Safety Pick”...and the recipient was a big surprise to me!
Jeep Wagoneer:
Best overall performer, earning a 2024 Top Safety Pick award.
Still needs improvements for backseat passenger protection to qualify for the Top Safety Pick+ award.
2024 IIHS Top Safety Picks - Minivans
Honda Odyssey - Top Safety Pick
Toyota Sienna - Top Safety Pick
2024 IIHS Top Safety Picks - Small SUVs
Mazda CX50 - Top Safety Pick +
Volkswagen Atlas - Top Safety Pick + 2023 Car Mom Car of the Year
2024 IIHS Top Safety Picks - Large SUVs
Honda Pilot - Top Safety Pick
Hyundai Palisade - Top Safety Pick
Kia Telluride - Top Safety Pick +
Mazda CX90 - Top Safety Pick +
Nissan Pathfinder - Top Safety Pick +
Volvo XC90 - Top Safety Pick
Kelly, Would You Buy A Car Not On The IIHS Top Safety List?
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Safety is undoubtedly a top priority when choosing a family vehicle, but it's just one of many factors to consider. I recognize that sometimes a car that doesn't top the safety charts might still be the best fit for your family, whether due to budget constraints or specific preferences. The most important thing is that you're making a well-informed decision that balances safety with your family's unique needs and circumstances.
The IIHS Top Safety Picks are used as a tool to help guide your car-buying choices, not make you sell your current vehicle and buy a new one.
Remember, the best way to keep your kids safe in any car is to have them secured properly in their car seat and ensure that their car seat is installed correctly in your car! Read your manuals and double check that your car seat is installed correctly every single time. This is important regardless of what care you have!
IIHS Top Safety Picks: Wrap Up
The IIHS is an incredible organization that is working hard to push manufacturers to make the safest car possible. That being said, their testing is not the only factor to consider when family car shopping. If you’re looking for a list on my Car Mom stamped best family cars, check out my guide here.
Do you drive a vehicle on the IIHS top safety picks list? Let me know in the comments! And to keep up with the latest family car buying information, check out my recent posts:
