Hyundai Motor Group has once again solidified its position as a global safety leader this year, building on last year’s accomplishments.
On Monday, Hyundai announced that three of its models—the Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Sonata, and Kia K4—have earned the prestigious “Top Safety Pick Plus (TSP+)” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
This year, Hyundai Motor Group secured TSP or higher ratings for 15 models: seven from Hyundai, five from Genesis, and three from Kia. This tally leads the pack among global automotive groups, with Mazda following at eight models and Honda at seven.
With this achievement, Hyundai Motor Group has maintained its top position among global automakers for two consecutive years. In the previous year, the group boasted 22 models with TSP+ or TSP ratings: nine from Hyundai, eight from Genesis, and five from Kia.
Earlier in March, five Hyundai models—the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, Kona, Tucson, and Santa Fe—four Genesis models—the GV60, GV70, GV70 Electric, and GV80—and two Kia models—the EV9 and Telluride—all secured TSP+ ratings. The Genesis G90 also earned a TSP rating.
The IIHS bestows the TSP+ rating on vehicles demonstrating exceptional safety in crash tests, while the TSP rating recognizes those with strong performance. The selection of 15 Hyundai Motor Group models is particularly noteworthy as they met this year’s more stringent rear passenger safety evaluation criteria.
The IIHS has enhanced its updated moderate overlap front test by introducing a small-stature female or 12-year-old child dummy in the back seat, better simulating real-world collision injuries for rear-seat passengers.
The bar has been raised this year: while an “Acceptable” rating previously sufficed for TSP+, vehicles must now achieve a good rating for TSP+ and at least an “Acceptable” rating for TSP.
To qualify for TSP+ or TSP ratings, vehicles must also excel with good ratings in both the small overlap front and updated side crash tests.
Additionally, vehicles need to score at least “Acceptable” in daytime and nighttime front crash prevention tests for both vehicle and pedestrian scenarios, and maintain “Acceptable” or higher headlight ratings across all trim levels.
A Hyundai Motor Group spokesperson expressed pride in the consistently strong performance of the company’s vehicles in the increasingly rigorous IIHS crash tests, affirming its commitment to delivering vehicles with world-class safety and quality through cutting-edge research, design, and technology.