After brutal IIHS crackdown, no Toyota SUVS won 2025 Top Safety Pick awards
Toyota’s SUVs have long been known for reliability, resale value, and off-road chops. But according to the latest IIHS crash tests, safety isn’t a Toyota SUV strong suit—at least, not anymore. After a brutal crackdown on standards, not a single Toyota SUV made the 2025 Top Safety Pick list. That’s right: From the RAV4 to the Highlander, they all flunked. The only Toyota’s with a safety nod were the Camry and Tundra. The only crossover built by Toyota Motor Corporation was the Lexus NX.
The winners: then vs. now
Toyota and Lexus went from 13 Top Safety Pick (TSP) or Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) winners in 2024 to just two in 2025. Here’s how their lineup changed:
2024 Toyota & Lexus Winners:
- TSP+: Toyota Camry, Toyota Prius, Lexus NX PHEV
- TSP: Toyota Corolla, Toyota Prius Prime, Toyota RAV4, Toyota RAV4 Prime, Toyota Venza, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Tundra, Lexus RX, Lexus UX, Lexus RZ
2025 Toyota & Lexus Winners:
- TSP+: Toyota Camry, Toyota Tundra
- TSP: Lexus NX
Did the safety of Toyota SUVs change?
The IIHS raised the safety bar for 2025, making it even harder for Toyota’s SUVs to qualify. President David Harkey explained, “The number of winners is smaller this year because we’re challenging automakers to build on the safety gains they’ve already achieved.”
Here’s a breakdown of what made 2025 testing tougher:
- The updated side crash test now mimics SUV-sized impacts with 82% more energy. A good rating is now required for TSP+ (instead of acceptable).
- The moderate overlap front crash test added a second-row dummy to check for rear passenger safety. An acceptable or good rating is now required for TSP+.
- Vehicles can no longer qualify with poor-rated headlights on any trim.
The IIHS made these changes because, “a driver of a vehicle rated good in the original [side crash] test is 70% less likely to die in a left-side crash, compared with a driver of a vehicle rated poor.”
Toyota’s SUVs weren’t the only losers on 2025’s safety pick list
Toyota was far from the only automaker hit hard. Nissan, Ford, and GM also lost multiple awards due to updated side-impact and pedestrian crash tests .
Losing every Top Safety Pick award for SUVs is a rough look for Toyota. They can’t blame IIHS for making the tests harder—other brands still passed. Mazda impressed with more awards than any other single brand. If Toyota wants to keep selling SUVs as family-friendly, it’s going to have to step up. See all of IIHS’ 2025 winners in the video embedded below:
