Toyota scored 14 Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards in 2024, and Hyundai nabbed nine, Honda, Genesis, and Mazda each took eight. In the luxury segment, BMW and Mercedes-Benze each earned five awards, and Audi claimed six.

It's easy to notice some patterns here: European automakers tend to do well when it comes to luxury cars, while Japan and Korea absolutely crush the competition overall. The most awarded American automaker for 2024 was Ford, taking home just four awards total, coming in one point behind BMW and Mercedes. So, where does that leave you if you want to buy a safe vehicle, but you also want to buy American?

The selection of automakers and vehicles was based on the cumulative count of IIHS Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ accolades earned in the past five years.

Since 2020, Ford has secured more IIHS awards than any other American car manufacturer.

Examining the past five years of IIHS Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ accolades, we can see how the top American car manufacturers rank:

Ford easily takes the win, more than doubling the number of awards held by Tesla, in a distant second place, while Chevrolet's last award, in 2022, was a Top Safety Pick+ for the Trailblazer.

Here’s a breakdown of Ford's IIHS awards categorized by gold and silver medals.

• Top Safety Pick+ Awards: 7
• Top Safety Pick Awards: 15

"Highest Honors" Doesn't Always Indicate "Most Secure"

It should be noted that Ford being the most awarded American automaker for the last five years does not necessarily make Ford the safest American automaker overall. Rivian may only have six Top Safety Pick awards in total, but every single time the IIHS has tested a Rivian, it's earned a Top Safety Pick or a Top Safety Pick+. Ford currently has eight cars and SUVs for sale, and five pickups, and only four of them scored an IIHS safety award for 2024, which means fewer than one in three Fords contributed to the brand's status as the most awarded American automaker that year.

Likewise, Ram's solitary safety award in 2020 might seem unimpressive, but the entire Ram lineup for that year was a single pickup. Meanwhile, Chevrolet was selling full-size pickups, as well as the Colorado, and about a dozen SUVs and cars, and it only took home a single award.

This isn't meant to undermine Ford's achievements in safety; rather, it's important to recognize that not every Ford vehicle available will have the same level of safety. When we refer to "most awarded," we are discussing the sheer number of awards, not the safety ratings as a percentage.

The Fords That Changed the Game

Ford's lineup has seen its share of changes over the last five years, with the Ford Bronco Sport and the Mustang Mach-E both being relatively new additions which have helped the automaker to maintain its lead among American automakers on the IIHS leaderboard.

The Ford Explorer is the most awarded of the bunch, winning an award every year for the last five. The Explorer earned perfect Good ratings in every category for its overall crash tests, but came up with a lot of Acceptable ratings in the safety technology department, for headlights, crash-preventing driver assists, and child safety anchors, and a single Poor rating for seatbelt reminders.

The 2024 Ford Bronco Sport may not have received a safety award, but it achieved a Good overall rating in all crash tests, except for the updated side test, where it received an Acceptable score. Additionally, the Bronco Sport boasts a Superior rating for front crash prevention. However, it's important to note that the SUV hasn't undergone testing since the 2021 model year, which means its safety technology hasn't been reassessed in several years. As a result, these ratings might not align with the IIHS' stricter standards for 2024 and 2025 unless a retest is conducted.

Additional Acclaimed American Models

As we mentioned above, Ford's status as the most-awarded automaker when it comes to safety has a lot to do with volume. This isn't to say that it holds a monopoly on American IIHS awards, only that it has more models out there that have scored a win. The three most awarded American vehicles of the last five years not produced by Ford would be the Tesla Model 3, the Tesla Model Y, and the Rivian R1T.

Electric Vehicles Could Pave the Way for Enhanced Automotive Safety in America

One notable trend observed in the data presented above is that, apart from Ford, electric vehicles are the most recognized American cars in the IIHS winners' circle. This can largely be attributed to the IIHS's growing focus on advanced driver-assistance systems. Companies like Rivian and Tesla, which specialize in electric vehicles, are leading the way in cutting-edge technology, thereby enhancing their chances of achieving high ratings from the IIHS.

It's important to highlight that every Top Safety Pick accolade awarded to an electric vehicle in our list above is a Top Safety Pick+, signifying a top-tier achievement rather than a lesser one. The Rivian R1T narrowly missed winning in 2021 and 2020 simply because it wasn't available for evaluation at that time. Currently, Asian manufacturers like Toyota and Hyundai are gaining momentum, solidifying their position at the forefront in terms of IIHS awards over their competitors. However, if American automakers are to capture a larger share of the market, it will likely hinge on their implementation of advanced safety technologies in innovative electric vehicles.

Sources: IIHS.