The small pickup truck class is rife with great vehicles. There’s the 2022 Toyota Tacoma, the 2022 Chevy Colorado, and the 2022 GMC Canyon. Yet only one small pickup truck has good enough safety ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to earn one of its awards, the Top Safety Pick. Here’s why the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is the safest small pickup truck you can buy, and what makes those other trucks not-as-great.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz safety ratings are good

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is sort of an underdog in the pickup truck market. It’s not as popular as some other trucks and it doesn’t have that same rugged typical truck vibe. That doesn’t mean it’s not a great choice – in fact, if safety is your priority, the 0222 Hyundai Santa Cruz just might be your ideal pickup truck. That’s because it has the best safety ratings of any small pickup truck that the IIHS tested.

The IIHS gives the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz its Top Safety Pick award. That’s the second-highest award a vehicle can win from the IIHS, behind the Top Safety Pick+. To win a Top Safety Pick award, a vehicle has to have good crash test ratings for the “driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength and head restraint tests.” It also must have advanced or superior front crash prevention, and acceptable or good headlights available.

The 2022 Toyota Tacoma crew cab is the second-highest rated pickup truck

Out of all the small pickup trucks that the IIHS tested, the 2022 Toyota Tacoma crew cab truck is the second-highest rated. Still, it doesn’t quite live up to the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz’s safety ratings. Its small overlap front test result on the passenger side is just acceptable, and one of its available headlight ratings is marginal. The extended cab has simlar ratings, though it doesn’t have small overlap front passenger side test.

The 2022 Chevy Colorado and 2022 GMC Canyon crew cab trucks fare worse than both Tacomas. They small overlap front test on the passenger side is marginal for both. The front crash prevention systems are rated only basic for each. In addition, they both have poor headlight ratings.

The extended cab 2022 Chevy Colorado and 2022 GMC Canyon trucks are rated the lowest

Twin trucks the 2022 Chevy Colorado extended cab and 2022 GMC Canyon extended cab are rated the lowest, according to the IIHS. Both pickups have just an acceptable rating for the small overlap front on the driver side and no rating for the passenger side. They both also have just acceptable side crash test ratings.

In naddition, both the Colorado and Canyon’s front crash prevention systems are both rated basic. Unfortunately, they both also only have poor headlights for their trucks.

If you want a small pickup truck that also happens to rank high for safety, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is the way to go. WHile other pickup trucks may have a lot going for them, none can rival the Santa Cruz for its great safety ratings.