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The Subaru BRZ has officially received a Top Safety Pick+ (Plus) award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for 2022. This is fantastic news for sports-car shoppers who secretly want to make sure their next car is as safe as it is fun. While the Subaru BRZ’s safety ratings have always been better-than-average, this is the first time that the coupe has been awarded the top-level Top Safety Pick+ (Plus) rating.

What does Top Safety Pick Plus mean?

“To earn a 2022 TOP SAFETY PICK or TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, vehicles must receive  ‘Good’ ratings in each of IIHS’s six crashworthiness evaluations; ‘Good’ or ‘Acceptable’ headlight ratings, and available front crash prevention that achieves ‘Advanced’ or ‘Superior’ ratings in both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations. The ‘Plus’ is awarded to models that come exclusively with ‘Good’ or ‘Acceptable’ headlights.”

Subaru Media

A Top Safety Pick award is still pretty impressive for a car to receive—the Top Safety Pick+ designation is reserved for only the safest and most reliable cars. In 2022, seven Subaru models received safety awards from the IIHS, including:

  • 2022 Subaru BRZ (TSP+)
  • 2022 Subaru Ascent (TSP+)
  • 2022 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid (TSP+)
  • 2022 Subaru Legacy (TSP+)
  • 2022 Subaru Outback (TSP+)
  • 2022 Subaru Crosstrek (TSP)
  • 2022 Subaru Impreza hatchback (TSP)

Safety and driver-assistance features in the 2022 BRZ

Backside of a silver 2022 Subaru BRZ, a Top Safety Pick Plus, driving away down a road with mountains on both sides
2022 Subaru BRZ | Subaru

One of the changes that raised the 2022 Subaru BRZ to new heights of safety was the addition of standard EyeSight® Driver Assist Technology on all BRZ Premium and Limited models with an automatic transmission. (I’m unsure if that designation means that manual models do not receive the Top Safety Pick+ award or if they simply don’t offer EyeSight as standard.)

EyeSight includes traffic monitoring, advanced cruise control, lane-keep warnings, and pre-collision braking. The 2022 BRZ also offers available STARLINK Safety and Security, which can alert emergency services in an accident, start your engine remotely, and even assist with navigation and reservations.

Thomas J. Doll, President and CEO of Subaru of America, says, “Our top priority with BRZ is to provide customers with an exciting and engaging sports car with the highest standards in safety.” 

Is the Subaru BRZ a good car?

Even without top-rated safety ratings, the 2022 Subaru BRZ is the best first sports car you can get for the money. It’s a bargain for under $30,000 and combines fun driving performance with decent fuel economy and good reliability for a sports car. The BRZ is a relatively new coupe, having been around only since 2013, but it’s gained a solid following.

Subaru’s coupe is so popular that buyers snapped up early models as soon as the 2022 versions were released. You can’t even order a BRZ anymore.

Other 2022 Subaru BRZ safety ratings

The BRZ’s Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS is one of the first fully formed safety ratings for the 2022 model. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) overall safety rating has not yet been provided for the 2022 BRZ at the time of this writing. However, the sports car has received four-star safety ratings for both Front Driver Side and Front Passenger Side.

We look forward to additional Subaru BRZ safety ratings coming out soon. 

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MotorBiscuit Staff Writer, Mentor

Becca Hopkins

Becca Hopkins joined MotorBiscuit as a Staff Writer, Mentor in 2022. A graduate of the University of Vermont, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Sociology, Becca brings several years of experience writing professionally to the team. Her many years of expertise include writing automotive content for companies such as Dealer.com and Cox Automotive.

Growing up with a family of 6 and as a proud owner of multiple dogs, Becca understands the importance of matching the right vehicle to a person’s unique lifestyle and is most inspired by how much freedom, opportunity, and access the right car can offer a driver.

When Becca isn’t writing, she can often be found hiking, training her dogs for agility competitions, and paddleboarding along the shores of Lake Champlain.