Safest Midsize SUVs with IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus Awards: Consumer Reports
Midsize SUVs have become popular for families due to the space and versatility. However, safety is also a top priority for many buyers looking at sport utility vehicles. Thanks to all of the competition in the segment, automakers have been adding more standard systems every year to keep up. These are some of the safest midsize SUVs with IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus awards from Kia, Toyota, and Hyundai.
The Kia Telluride is a midsize SUV with an IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus award
Consumer Reports’ list of safe midsize SUVs from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is quite long, which is good for shoppers. Two of the most popular vehicles on the list are the Kia Telluride and the Hyundai Palisade. Kia has been working hard on the Telluride to make it safer and more affordable than the competition, but it also comes stacked with features.
The 2023 Kia Telluride has easy-to-use controls and thoughtful features to keep the whole family entertained and charged up. Kia added driver assistance features like forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and blind spot warning standard. Automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic warning, and lane-keep assist are also included.
These systems were enough to earn the Kia Telluride midsize SUV the Top Safety Pick Plus award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Hyundai and Nissan made the list of midsize SUVs with IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus awards
The 2023 Hyundai Palisade is another well-liked midsize SUV. It has three rows and plenty of room for the whole family. Inside, the cabin is comfortable and has all the necessary technology. Hyundai included forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and blind spot warning on all trim levels. It also got automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assist. These systems helped the Palisade lane on the list of midsize SUVs with Top Safety Pick Plus awards.
In addition to those two options, the 2023 Nissan Pathfinder is fresh off a redesign and safer than ever. Nissan upgraded the exterior looks for a more modern take on the Pathfinder and updated the infotainment system inside. The V6 returns 284 hp and gets 21 mpg overall during testing. Nissan added all necessary systems like forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and blind spot warning. This was enough to earn the IIHS TSP+ award.
Drivers like the 2023 Subaru Ascent for a few reasons. It is a functional midsize SUV with a comfortable interior and a turbo four-cylinder with 22 mpg overall. Systems like forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and blind spot warning are standard. The Ascent performed well on the front, side, and rear crash tests. On the new IIHS automatic emergency braking pedestrian tests, the 2023 Ascent earned the highest “superior” score.
The 2023 Toyota Highlander is another IIHS winner

The list of midsize SUVs with IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus awards rounds out with the 2023 Toyota Highlander. Toyota’s Highlander has a history of reliability behind it and better fuel economy for this year. A new infotainment system is easy to use for 2023, and the hybrid option returned 35 mpg during testing.
On top of the Top Safety Pick Plus award from the IIHS, the Highlander earned a five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It scored well in most of the crashworthiness tests.
While the list of midsize SUVs with IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus awards isn’t long, hopefully, that is a good sign for next year. Each year, the IIHS and NHTSA make the tests harder, which makes vehicles safer.