With the Toyota RAV4 missing a Top Safety Pick, mainstream SUVs are being caught out by tougher rear-passenger requirements
The 2026-27 Nissan Kicks has earned a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) after Nissan revised its rear seat belts. Five other models rated in the same round, including the Toyota RAV4 and Audi Q3, missed out on both IIHS awards.
The Kicks, redesigned for model year 2025, was first rated poor in IIHS’s moderate overlap front test, which focuses on protecting second-row passengers. Only examples built after the June 2026 belt changes score good there and qualify for the award.
Rear-seat protection proved the main obstacle. The Audi Q3 and Chevrolet Trailblazer were rated poor in the same test, the Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid marginal and the standard RAV4 acceptable, all short of the good rating both awards require. The Trailblazer also scored poor for vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention.
Winners also need good scores in the small overlap and side crash tests, headlights rated at least acceptable on every trim, and standard front crash prevention. Top Safety Pick asks for an acceptable or good pedestrian rating, while the plus version requires good pedestrian performance and at least acceptable vehicle-to-vehicle results.
The Kicks fell short of the higher award with a marginal vehicle-to-vehicle rating, despite good pedestrian results. The 2027 Volkswagen Jetta, a midsize car, also failed to qualify, leaving the Kicks the only award winner in this round.
Source: IIHS
