What EVs Are Top Rated for Safety?

Top EV Safety Picks

The U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has ranked nine electric vehicles as being among the safest on the market. The agency, an independent, nonprofit organization focused on reducing deaths and injuries from motor vehicle crashes, has awarded these electric vehicles its “Top Safety Pick+” award – the highest rating possible.

How Do New EVs Perform?

In order to qualify for the Top Safety Pick+ award, cars must earn “good” ratings in several different crash tests:

• Driver-side small-overlap front collision

• Passenger-side small-overlap front collision

• Original moderate overlap front collision

• Side impact collision

Furthermore, “acceptable” or “good” headlights, which contribute to active safety and help prevent accidents, must be standard across all trim levels. Top rated cars must have an active front crash prevention system to prevent pedestrian injuries that earns advanced or superior ratings during both daytime and nighttime evaluations.

Here are the top safest EVs on the road today according to the IIHS.

Audi Q6 e-tron

Based on a joint platform co-developed with Porsche, the Q6 e-tron been engineered exclusively for electric drive, meaning a spacious interior and better packaging. The new Q6 e-tron features an 800-volt electrical architecture, which reduces charging times but also reduces weight to the benefit of performance and range. A full suite of advanced driver assistance tech is standard, including semi-autonomous highway cruising capability. The Q6 e-tron has a starting MSRP of $63,800 and an EPA-estimated range of up to 321 miles.

Hyundai Ioniq 5

The Ioniq 5 is becoming a familiar sight on our roads. Built off Hyundai’s excellent E-GMP electric car platform and features an 800-volt electrical architecture, a choice of two- or all-wheel drive, a spacious interior, and an EPA-estimated range of up to 318 miles, depending on configuration. It has a starting MSRP of $42,600. Upgrades for the 2025 model year make it even more attractive: better efficiency, longer range, and a Tesla-style NACS charging port.

Hyundai Ioniq 6

A sleek midsize “streamliner” EV sedan, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 is built off the same platform as the Ioniq 5 and also offers choice of rear- or all-wheel drive. Its interior is remarkably roomy for a sedan, and thanks to its sleeker shape, it uses the same batteries and motors as the Ioniq 5 to find an EPA-estimated range of up to 361 miles, depending on configuration. It has a starting MSRP of $37,850. It earned superior ratings in the daytime and nighttime pedestrian tests, as well as top crash test ratings.

Safety is just one advantage. Discover more benefits of electric cars.

Ford Mustang Mach-E

Ford’s Mustang Mach-E is a stylish five-door that combines Mustang styling with a spacious interior and lots of far-out features. Upgrades for the 2025 model year bring more range, more power, and more choice, with dedicated off-road and high-performance versions. Starting from an MSRP of $36,495, the lineup now has something for every taste. With most models featuring all-wheel drive, and an EPA estimated range of up to 320 miles, this is a solid package.

Genesis GV60

A close platform relative of the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, the GV60 is a luxury SUV that performed exceptionally well in the IIHS’s crash test ratings. It has a gorgeous, high-tech interior with lots of space, tons of tech, and class-leading charging speeds. With a starting MSRP of $52,350, the GV60 is available with rear- or all-wheel drive, and has an EPA-estimated range of up to 296 miles.

Genesis Electrified GV70

The Genesis Electrified GV70 is a midsize luxury electric SUV. It earned advanced ratings in both daytime and nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention tests, as well as top marks in all collision tests. With a standard 77.4-kWh battery pack, the Electrified GV70 has an EPA-estimated range of 236 miles and a starting MSRP of $47,650.

Kia EV9

A futuristic-looking SUV, the EV9 shares much of its engineering with the excellent EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 – just in larger form. This is one of very few electric SUVs on the market that offers three rows of seating, while still having impressive range and incredible efficiency. Plus, you get ultra-fast charging speeds and a reasonable starting MSRP of $54,900.

Rivian R1S and R1T

American startup Rivian performed very well in the 2025 IIHS testing, with both the R1S SUV and R1T pickup achieving top marks. Updated for the 2025 model year, the R1S and R1T both get you Rivian’s excellent technology, a spacious interior, and lots of clever features for your dollar. Both offer numerous configurations with different battery sizes, wheels, and motor configurations and EPA range estimates of up to 400 miles. Starting MSRP for the R1T is $69,900.

Preventing Pedestrian Injuries

“It’s exciting to see new EVs from different brands with the highest level of safety,” said IIHS president David Harkey. “Making sure safety continues to be a priority in alternatively powered vehicles is critical if we are going to achieve the vision of zero traffic fatalities.”

Harkey added: “To be environmentally friendly, our vehicles and our cities also need to be pedestrian friendly. All three of these vehicles have standard front crash prevention systems designed to protect pedestrians both during the day and at night, when most fatal pedestrian crashes happen.”

What’s the difference between the IIHS’ Top Safety Pick+ and its lower-tier Top Safety Pick ratings? To earn the lower designation, an “acceptable” rating in the side impact test is enough, and tested vehicles only need to demonstrate advanced or superior performance in the daytime pedestrian test – not the nighttime test. These three new EVs, introduced in 2023, all meet the requirements for the higher-tier award.

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