Four small cars qualified for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s 2026 Top Safety Pick+ designation, which is the highest award from the insurance industry group. Another three small cars were selected for the group’s Top Safety Pick designation, which is its second-highest award.
The awards come as SUVs make up 35 of the 45 winners for its Top Safety Pick+ award this year, and 12 of its 18 Top Safety Pick winners, in the latest sign of the U.S auto market shift to larger vehicles.
IIHS said it would like to see carmakers improve safety across all types of vehicles.
“This year, we’re asking automakers to make excellent protection for back seat passengers the norm,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “For TOP SAFETY PICK+, we’re requiring crash avoidance systems that are better at preventing pedestrian crashes as well as higher speed crashes with other vehicles.”
With that in mind, the USA TODAY Cars team took a look at the IIHS ranking and compiled a list of the safest small cars.
1. Kia K4
- MSRP: $22,290
- IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
- What Kia says: SeungKyu Yoon, President and CEO of Kia North America and Kia America, said in a press release that “safety isn’t a single feature. It’s a core focus across our vehicles.”
2. Mazda 3 Hatchback
- MSRP: $25,550
- IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
- What Mazda says: Jennifer Morrison, Director of Vehicle Safety Strategy at Mazda North American Operations, said in a press release, “We agree with IIHS that safety does not have to be expensive. Our commitment is to ensure that advanced protection remains attainable while still delivering the engaging driving experience Mazda is known for.”
3. Mazda 3 Sedan
- MSRP: $24,550
- IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
- What Mazda says: The company said in a press release, “Sustaining this level of performance comes not from simply following trends or reacting to guidelines, but from Mazda’s deeply rooted Safety Philosophy, which prioritizes understanding real-world risk and designing vehicles that help mitigate harm before it occurs.”
4. Nissan Sentra
- MSRP: $21,590
- IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick+
- What Nissan says: Chris Reed, regional senior vice president, research and development, Nissan Americas said in a press release that “safety remains at the heart of what we do and our teams work tirelessly to engineer vehicles that perform in the real world.”
5. Honda Civic Hatchback
- MSRP: $27,000
- IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick
- What Honda says: Honda said in a press release the Civic and other Top Safety Pick winners are a sign of “the company’s longstanding ‘Safety for Everyone’ approach, a commitment to advance safety for everyone sharing the road.”
6. Hyundai Elantra
- MSRP: $23,870
- IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick
- What Hyundai says: Hyundai said in a press release, “This recognition highlights Hyundai’s dedication to achieving and maintaining the highest safety standards in the automotive industry.”
7. Toyota Prius
- MSRP: $29,745
- IIHS Safety Rating: Top Safety Pick
- What Toyota says: The company did not comment on its Top Safety Pick recognition.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here are the safest small cars for 2026. And they’re all under $30K
Reporting by Keith Laing, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
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