Hyundai Crushes it in 2019 IIHS Top Safety Pick Recipients

The automotive industry is a funny one that can flip on its ear in a heartbeat. Some automakers have insane falls from grace after an inexcusable gaff *cough Volkswagen cough,* while others come from little-known nobodies to leaders of the industry. The latter is where Hyundai is quickly heading, and its latest mastery of safety indicates this.

The IIHS just released its safety ratings for 2019 vehicles, and Hyundai has the most combined Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ models at 10. Hyundai’s list of Top Safety Pick+ models includes the Santa Fe, Kona, Sonata, and Elantra. Its list of Top Safety Pick models includes the Santa Fe XL, Tucson, Ioniq, Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid, Elantra GT, and Accent.

To earn the Top Safety Pick rating, a vehicle must receive “Good” ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint tests. It must also earn an “Acceptable” or “Good” rating in the passenger-side small overlap front test, an “Advanced” or “Superior” rating in front-crash prevention, and an “Acceptable” or “Good” rating in the headlight testing.

The Top Safety Pick+ requirements include all Top Safety Pick items, plus it must earn a “Good” rating in the passenger-side small overlap front and headlights tests.

The next best automaker in total awards is Hyundai’s sister brand, Kia, at eight. Hyundai’s luxury arm, Genesis, delivers another three Top Safety Pick+ models. All said, there are 21 models under the Hyundai Motor Company umbrella that received Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ honors. That’s quite impressive for an automaker few would ever consider buying from just 20 years ago.