In contrast with the federal government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is restricted by limited budgets and standards determined by the legislative process, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety puts the money and data of insurance companies to work designing more thorough crash tests that can be implemented without an act of Congress. The moving target presented by the IIHS means automakers are often caught out by updated tests. But automakers can also use the results of those tests to make improvements, as the latest round of IIHS safety ratings shows.

 

The insurance-industry-backed nonprofit recently tested a handful of crossovers, including the Audi Q3, Chevrolet Trailblazer, Nissan Kicks, and Toyota RAV4 (in both hybrid and plug-in hybrid forms). The Kicks earned a 2026 Top Safety Pick award (one run below the highest Top Safety Pick+) despite failing to do so when the current generation debuted for the 2025 model year. The others got nothing. And it was all down to the IIHS’s recently-updated moderate overlap front crash test.