Nine small SUVs have an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating for 2024 and 2025. However, of those nine safest small SUV models, only a handful start below the $30,000 mark. Of those few, the Hyundai Kona is the only SUV for 2025 with top safety scores from safety agencies and a starting price tag under $26,000.

The 2025 Hyundai Kona has a Top Safety Pick+, a five-star safety rating, and a starting price under $26K

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tests vehicles for crashworthiness. What’s the best way to do that? The IIHS crashes them. Then testers analyze data and score the vehicles. If vehicles perform well in evaluations like front and side impact testing, they can receive “Good” ratings. Conversely, problematic performances can result in “Poor” ratings. 

Top safety performers earn the coveted “Top Safety Pick+” rating just ahead of the vehicles that don’t earn the plus. In the small SUV segment, the safest Top Safety Pick+ models include the Mazda CX-30, Honda HR-V, and Hyundai Kona.

Like the IIHS, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) evaluates vehicles for crashworthiness. However, rather than awarding vehicles with titles like “Top Safety Pick,” the NHTSA operates with a star system. Top performers, like Uber drivers and Hollywood movies, boast five-star ratings.

The 2025 Hyundai Kona, like the Mazda CX-30 and Honda HR-V, earned a five-star rating to go along with a Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS. However, the Kona starts at $25,745, making it the most affordable, safest small SUV in the segment for 2025.

On the other hand, the 2025 Nissan Kicks undercuts the Kona’s starting price by around $2,525. However, the small Nissan SUV didn’t receive the plus rating from the IIHS. The 2025 model also hasn’t been evaluated by the NHTSA for a star rating.