Twelve electric cars and SUVs qualified for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s 2026 Top Safety Pick awards.
That number is more than a quarter of the group’s 45 Top Safety Pick+ designation, the insurance industry group’s highest accolade. The Ford Mustang Mach-E was the only fully electric car among the group’s Top Safety Pick winners, its second-highest award.
The findings come as the average price of gas rose to $3.99 on March 27, boosting interest in electric cars. That’s up from $3.91 a week ago on March 20.
The IIHS said it wants carmakers to improve safety in all types of vehicles.
“This year, we’re asking automakers to make excellent safety for rear-seat passengers the norm,” said IIHS President David Harkey. “For Top Safety Pick+, we need a crash avoidance system that is better at preventing pedestrian crashes as well as high-speed crashes with other vehicles.”
The USA TODAY Cars team took a look at the IIHS rankings and compiled a list of the safest electric cars on the market.
1. 2027 Audi A6 Sportback e-tron
MSRP: $66,700
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What they said: Audi did not comment on their 2026 IIHS accreditation.
2. 2026 Genesis GV60
MSRP: $58,000
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What they said: When several of Genesis’ cars won 2025 Top Safety Picks, a press release said the designation “positively promotes Genesis’s reputation as a manufacturer of safe vehicles in the U.S. market. This is because American consumers trust IIHS’s scientific and systematic safety assessment methods.”
3. 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5
MSRP: $36,600
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What they said: “This recognition highlights Hyundai’s dedication to achieving and maintaining the highest safety standards in the automotive industry,” Hyundai said in a press release.
4. 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9
MSRP: $60,555
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What they said: “2026 TSP+ awards are given to vehicles that meet rigorous criteria set by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), including advanced crashworthiness and passenger protection requirements,” Hyundai said in a press release.
5. 2026 Kia EV9
MSRP: $60,555
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What they said: “The expansion of our IIHS accreditation to more models reflects how we are prioritizing safety as the agency’s standards in safety continue to evolve,” Seungkyu (Sean) Yoon, president and CEO of Kia North America and Kia America, said in a press release.
6. 2027 Audi Q6 e-tron
MSRP: $64,500
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What they said: Audi did not comment on their 2026 IIHS accreditation.
7. 2027 Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron
MSRP: $68,300
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What they said: Audi did not comment on their 2026 IIHS accreditation.
8. 2026 Genesis Electrified GV70
MSRP: $76,740
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What they said: When several of Genesis’ cars won 2025 Top Safety Picks, a press release said the designation “positively promotes Genesis’s reputation as a manufacturer of safe vehicles in the U.S. market. This is because American consumers trust IIHS’s scientific and systematic safety assessment methods.”
9. 2026 Rivian R1s
MSRP: $75,900
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What they said: “To date, the R1S is the only vehicle in the large SUV category produced by an American automotive company to receive the 2026 Top Safety Pick+ designation (through March 2026),” Rivian said in a press release.
10. 2026 Volvo EX90
MSRP: $78,090
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What they said: Volvo did not comment on its 2026 IIHS awards.
11. 2026 Tesla Cybertruck
MSRP: $79,990
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
What they said: “The Cybertruck is extremely safe,” Tesla said in a Tuesday, March 24, post.
12. 2026 Ford Mustang Mach-E
MSRP: $40,595
IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick
What they said: “Keeping our customers safe is essential, so this recognition is important to @Ford and our team,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said in an
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here are the 12 safest electric cars money can buy in 2026.
Reporting by Keith Lang, USA TODAY/USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect