2026 Hyundai Palisade and Toyota Prius Earn Top Safety+ Award

The 2026 Hyundai Palisade and the 2026 Toyota Prius qualified for Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's 2026 Top Safety+ Award thanks to improved performance in the moderate overlap front crash test. 

The Prius, which earlier earned the lower-tier Top Safety Pick award, jumps to “plus” status based on a new result in the updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluation. 

New ratings for 14 other models that do not qualify for either award are also available. 

To qualify for either award this year, vehicles need good ratings in the moderate overlap front, small overlap front and side crash tests and acceptable- or good-rated headlights across all trim levels. 

For Top Safety Pick, the only other requirement is an acceptable or good rating in the pedestrian front crash test. To earn the “plus,” vehicles need a good rating in that evaluation as well as an acceptable or good rating in the updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluation that was introduced last year. Qualifying front crash prevention systems must be standard for either award. 

Only Palisades built after November 2025, when Hyundai made changes to the rear seat belt buckles, qualify for Top Safety Pick+. Vehicles built earlier don’t earn either accolade due to an acceptable rating in the moderate overlap test. 

The Prius earned a Top Safety Pick when the first batch of 2026 winners was announced in March. It had missed out on the “plus” because it had not undergone the updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention test. With the results of that evaluation now available, all 2026 models qualify for the “plus.” 

Two additional IIHS evaluations — seat belt reminders and LATCH ease of use — are not part of the award criteria but are included in the complete ratings table for 16 tested vehicles here.