Safest EVs for 2026: every fully electric IIHS Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+

The short answer: 12 electric Top Safety Pick+ winners

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) lists 16 fully electric entries among its 2026 awards: 12 Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) and four Top Safety Pick (TSP). The plus award goes to the 2026 Genesis GV60, Hyundai IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 9, Kia EV9, Genesis Electrified GV70 and Volvo EX90, the 2027 Audi A6 Sportback e-tron, Q6 e-tron and Q6 Sportback e-tron, and the 2026–27 Tesla Model Y, Rivian R1S and Tesla Cybertruck.

IIHS stresses that awards identify the best choices within size categories. Larger, heavier vehicles generally protect their occupants better than smaller, lighter ones, so a small car with an award might not protect as well as a bigger vehicle without one.

Fully electric TSP+ for 2026

12 entries

Fully electric TSP for 2026

4 entries: 2027 IONIQ 5, 2027 GV60, 2027 Electrified GV70, 2026 Mustang Mach-E

Smallest electric winners

Genesis GV60 and Hyundai IONIQ 5 (small SUVs)

Only electric pickup

Tesla Cybertruck crew cab, TSP+

Source

IIHS award list filtered to fully electric, read November 6, 2026

Sources: [1], [2]

All fully electric award winners

The table follows IIHS's own grouping by size class. Model years matter: the same model can earn a different award in a different year.

Sources: [1]

What the awards require

Both awards require good ratings in the small overlap front, the updated moderate overlap front and the updated side crash tests, plus acceptable or good headlights as standard. Top Safety Pick needs acceptable or good pedestrian front crash prevention as standard; Top Safety Pick+ needs a good pedestrian rating and, in addition, an acceptable or good rating in IIHS's vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention 2.0 test, again as standard equipment.

Sources: [2]

Why some 2027 models get the lower award

The 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 5 is a TSP+, the 2027 model a TSP. Its crash ratings are the same good results; the difference is the vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention 2.0 test. IIHS shows an acceptable rating for the 2026 model and no such rating for the 2027 model. The 2027 Genesis GV60 and Electrified GV70 pages also list no vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0 rating, and neither does the 2026 Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Our reading: a missing rating keeps a vehicle at TSP even when everything else qualifies, and it does not by itself mean the system failed the test. If front crash prevention matters to you, check the IIHS page for the exact model year before you buy.

Sources: [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]

How to use the list

Many electric models are not on the list, and not every vehicle is tested every year, so absence is not a verdict (our assessment). Compare vehicles within the same size class, check that the award applies to your model year, and look at the individual ratings behind it. Efficiency and range are a separate question, covered in “Most efficient EVs for 2026 and 2027: EPA kWh per 100 miles, ranked”; what the battery warranty covers is in “EV battery warranty 2026: what 12 automakers cover in the US and what can void it”.

1. Find your exact model and model year on the IIHS list.
2. Compare it only with vehicles in the same size class.
3. Open the IIHS rating page to see which test decided the award.
4. Check headlights by trim, since IIHS notes they can vary.

Sources: [1]