When you’re shopping for a new SUV, you typically make a list of priorities. For many people, this includes safety. Yet sorting through all of the safety data out there can be overwhelming, to say the least. That’s why it can be helpful to look at the safety awards put out by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The nonprofit’s ToP Safety Pick+ awards will tell you what the safest sport utility vehicles out there are. Here’s a list, so you can quickly see what all the best options for the safest 2022 SUVs are. 

These are the safest small 2022 SUVs

The 2022 Chevy Trailblazer, 2022 Ford Bronco Sport, and 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 are among the safest small SUVs you can buy brand new. Each of these is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ winner. To be a Top Safety Pick+, a vehicle must have good crash test ratings in all major categories. It also has to have superior or advanced safety systems and acceptable or good headlights standard on all models.  

Other small 2022 SUVs with the Top Safety Pick+ award include the 2022 Hyundai Tucson, the 2022 Mazda CX-30, and the 2022 Mazda CX-5. The 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander, 2022 Nissan Rogue, and 2022 Subaru Forester also make the list. In addition, two Toyota SUVs – the 2022 Corolla Cross and the 2022 RAV4 Prime, are Top Safety Pick+ winners, as are three Volvos: the 2022 C40 Recharge, XC40, and XC40 Recharge.

The Midsize SUVs that make the Top Safety Pick+ list

Want something a little bit bigger? You have a lot of options for the safest midsize SUVs. The 2022 Ford Explorer, 2022 Hyundai Palisade, and 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe are all IIHS Top Safety Pick+ winners. So are the 2022 Mazda CX-9, 2022 Nissan Murano, and 2022 Nissan Pathfinder. The 2022 Subaru Ascent also makes the list of the safest midsize SUVs.

Toyota and Volkswagen round out the list of the safest midsize sport utility vehicles. The 2022 Toyota Highlander is a Top Safety Pick+, as are the 2022 Volkswagen ID.4 and the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan.

A bunch of luxury midsize SUVs make the list

Let’s say you want something really nice. There are a whole bunch of luxury midsize SUVs on the IIHS list of Top Safety Pick+ winners. For example, the 2022 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura RDX, and 2022 Audi Q5 are all top award winners. So are the 2022 Audi Q5 Sportback, the 2022 Cadillac XT6, and the 2022 Genesis GV70, as well as its larger sibling, the GV80.

The 2022 Hyundai Nexo, 2022 Lexus NX, and the NX Plug-In Hybrid are also Top Safety Pick+ winners. In addition, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLE, 2022 Tesla Model Y, and 2022 Volvo XC60 make the list. Rounding it off are three more Volvos: the 2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge, XC90, and XC90 Recharge.

Finally, there are two large SUVs on the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ winner list. These include the 2022 Audi e-Tron as well as the Audi e-Tron Sportback.

If you want one of the safest SUVs that you can buy, you have a lot of options. Any sport utility vehicle on the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ list has met the non-profit’s strict requirements to be considered one of the safest vehicles. Of course, this isn’t a guarantee of perfection, but it’s certainly not a bad place to start your shopping.