Vehicle safety has come a long way in the last decade, especially regarding SUVs. While safety ratings have always been important, there has been more emphasis placed on scores and standard systems in the previous few years. Historically, Jeep has not been a brand to worry about safety as much as capability. The good news is that the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee does both! Check out which Jeep SUV models score the highest on NHTSA safety testing.

Is the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee a safe SUV?

The 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee has more trim levels than usual, but most options earned a good safety score. For instance, the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee L earned a five-star safety rating from the NHTSA. This is the long-wheelbase version of the traditional Grand Cherokee that adds a third row.

During testing, the NHTSA found that the Grand Cherokee L protected the occupants well. It earned high marks in the frontal, side, and rollover segments. The frontal crash is an important test that simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph. Both the driver and passenger were protected in the simulated crash.

It was a similar story for the side crash tests. During the side barrier and side pole portions of testing, the long-wheelbase Jeep SUV protected occupants from injury. One test looks at an intersection collision between a standing vehicle and a moving barrier at 38.5 mph. The other simulates a crash into a fixed object like a tree or utility pole.

How safe is the Grand Cherokee 4xe Plug-In Hybrid?

There was another 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee to earn a five-star safety rating, and that was the plug-in hybrid model. The Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe (PHEV) also protected the driver and occupants in the main crash tests. This is important for the brand since the plug-in hybrid model is new for this year and has a lot of eyes on it.

Two critical models are missing an overall rating, and that is the basic Grand Cherokee model. The NHTSA tested the Jeep SUVs, and both earned high scores in two areas: the frontal and side crash segments. Unfortunately, that did not pan out for the overall rating. It is possible testing is ongoing for this model, or it did not have enough of a score for the overall safety rating.

The 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee does have 89 customer complaints and four recalls already, so it is possible those impacted the score. Those recalls relate to the rearview camera not working, incorrectly installed rear coil springs, an incorrectly installed steering column, and an issue with an airbag warning label.

The 2023 Jeep SUV earned an IIHS award

Safety testing is not always done on new vehicles, but it is helpful to have. For example, the 2023 Jeep Renegade was tested but only earned a four-star safety rating. The Renegade earned mostly four-star scores on the frontal, side, and rollover tests. Other models, like the 2023 Jeep Wrangler, were not tested or given a safety score.

The 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee earned a Top Safety Pick Plus award from the IIHS. This award applies to models built after March 2023 this year and primarily focuses on the regular Grand Cherokee and the L. Still, it is another good accolade to hold onto. The Grand Cherokee earned high marks in many tests, but the models with LED reflector headlights scored best.

Jeep has quite the lineup planned for 2024, and more standard safety systems will come on each model. There is always room for improvement when it comes to safety, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee only gets better with age.