Safest Midsize Truck Isn’t a Toyota or Ford, Says IIHS
In the cocooned shell of our vehicles, it’s easy to get a false sense of security. However, there’s always the danger of getting into a car accident, resulting in injury or death. Some vehicle types are safer than others, and unfortunately, not many pickup trucks are very safe — especially midsize versions. There’s an exception, though, and it’s not a Toyota or Ford. The safest midsize truck in an accident is the all-electric 2023 Rivian R1T. It’s the only midsize truck to earn an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award.
2023 Rivian R1T is the safest midsize pickup truck — the only 1 to get an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is one of the most trusted authorities for safety evaluations. IIHS conducts extensive crash tests on new models, including pickup trucks. These crash tests are a good indicator of safety, for they show how a vehicle performs in a car crash.
And for a vehicle that’s very safe with high crash test ratings, IIHS gives it an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award. For the midsize pickup truck segment, the all-electric 2023 Rivian R1T is the only one that earned the coveted IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award. According to IIHS, the R1T is the safest midsize truck. The 2022 model year version received the same honor as well.
IIHS also has a second-tier Top Safety Pick award, but no midsize trucks received that one either. While IIHS evaluated other midsize trucks, none of them earned any safety honors. This includes the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Honda Ridgeline, Chevy Colorado, Nissan Frontier, GMC Canyon, and Jeep Gladiator. While the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger are two of the best-selling midsize trucks, when it comes to safety, they lag behind the R1T.
Why is the 2023 Rivian R1T so safe?
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the 2023 Rivian R1T EV truck an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award — and the honor of the safest midsize truck — because it surpassed a very high bar for crash test ratings. It achieved the requirement for the best possible “good” score in all of the “crashworthiness” tests. This includes top marks for small overlap front (driver and passenger sides), moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, seats, and head restraints. The midsize truck also earned a “good” rating for the headlights.
Additionally, the Top Safety Pick+ award requires at least a “superior” or “advanced” rating for “crash avoidance and mitigation.” This includes crash prevention for vehicle-to-vehicle accidents and ones with pedestrians (day and night). For vehicle-to-vehicle and pedestrians (day), the R1T achieved the best-possible “superior” rating — and an “advanced” rating for pedestrians (night).
The high-level safety of the Rivian R1T is due in part to its sturdy body structure. With the combination of high-strength steel, aluminum alloy, and carbon fiber, it holds up well in collisions. Also, the electric midsize truck has a low center of gravity, which helps prevent rollover accidents.
Furthermore, it offers an abundance of safety-enhancing driving assistance features. This includes automatic emergency braking, dynamic brake support, forward collision warning, park assist, trailer assist, automatic high beams, rear cross-traffic warning, blind-spot warning, adaptive cruise control, highway assist, lane change assist, lane departure warning, and lane keep assistance.
Other pickup trucks that earned an IIHS award
While the 2023 Rivian R1T is the only midsize truck that earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, another truck from the full-size segment earned one too. It’s the 2023 Toyota Tundra Tundra. Like the R1T, the 2022 model year version of the Tundra was honored as well.
Last year, IIHS honored more trucks with the second-tier Top Safety Pick award. However, with stricter requirements in 2023, they were dropped off the safety honor list. This includes the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which beat the Ford Maverick as last year’s only small pickup truck winner. Also, the full-size Ford F-150 and Ram 1500, previous winners, didn’t make the safety cut for the 2023 awards.
For those that desire a very safe midsize pickup truck, though, the best choice is not the Toyota Tacoma or Ford Ranger. It’s the all-electric 2023 Rivian R1T. It’s the safest midsize truck in a car accident — for it’s the only one to get the highly-respected IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award.
