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- The Ford Bronco and Bronco Sports received slight ratings in the recent IIHS safety test.
- Broncosport showed increased risk of head and neck injuries in the back seat.
- Six other vehicles have won the Top Safety Pick+ award, including models from Hyundai, Kia, Toyota and Nissan.
The Ford Bronco and Ford Bronco Sports SUVS were unable to meet the marginal rating to qualify for the Insurance Institute’s Top Safety Pick for the latest safety assessment of highway safety.
On June 10, the Highway Safety Insurance Institute, a nonprofit owned by car insurance companies, said it is a nonprofit group owned by car insurance companies with the aim of reducing injuries caused by car accidents, testing nine vehicles and awarding the 2025 Top Safety Pick+ Awards from four different brands.
Three vehicles tested – the Volkswagen Taos, Ford Bronco and BroncoSport have not achieved a “good” ranking due to performances of one or more of the required tests, but rather came as “good,” the institute said.
Collision tests showed that both Broncos increased the risk of chest injuries to passengers in the rear seat. TAOS has achieved poor results with front crash tests and its headlight and pedestrian collision avoidance system.
A Volkswagen spokesman did not immediately respond to inquiries to comment on the results.
Ford Motor Co. spokesman Mike Levine sent the following statement to the Detroit Free Press by email: Scores on NHTSA tests. ”
Top Safety Pick + Winner
The Insurance Institute said it will qualify for either this year’s Top Safety Pick+ or Lower Top Safety Pick Awards. This test simulates a crash in which a small portion of the front of the vehicle affects another vehicle or barrier.
The vehicle must also get a good rating on updated side tests, and must get an acceptable or good rating on a pedestrian front crash prevention rating, and an acceptable or good rating headlight at all trim levels.
The Institute said that getting an acceptable rating in the updated medium overlap front test is sufficient to qualify for a sufficient safety pick, but a good rating is required to win a top safety pick+. In a medium overlap test, we simulate a frontal collision in which the front of the vehicle overlaps 40% of the width of the stationary vehicle at 40 mph. Its purpose is to measure resident protection in the back seat.
The 2025 models that received the Top Safety Pick+ ranking were Hyundai Elantra, Kia K4, Toyota Prius, and all the smaller cars. Hyundai Sonata Midsize Car, Toyota BZ4X Electric Small SUV, and Nissan Murano Midsize SUV.
The Institute said on some vehicles, the Top Safety Pick+ Award only applies to models built after the date the manufacturer made improvements to rear resident protection. For example, this award applies to Elantras built after October 2024, sonatas built after November 2024, and K4S built after January 2025. The BZ4X Awards are compatible with vehicles built since December 2024, when the XLE trim headlights changed to the ones that are currently well rated.
Ford and VW cannot meet crash metrics
The Insurance Institute report said new ratings could also be used in Ford Bronco, Ford Bronco Sports and Volkswagen Taos, but “these models did not win awards because they were inadequately performing on one or more of the required tests.”
“The Bronco was disqualified from the competition due to a periphery assessment of headlights, pedestrian front crash prevention system and moderate overlap crash performance,” the institute wrote. “In the medium overlap test, measurements taken from the posterior dummy showed a higher risk of chest trauma, but the Bronco worked well with most other metrics.”
Ford’s Broncosport failed the same rating, but for various reasons. During the test, the lab said, “The posterior dummy lap belt slides into the abdomen from the ideal position of the pelvis, increasing the chance of internal damage. Measurements taken from the posterior dummy indicate a higher risk of chest and head or neck injuries.”
BroncoSport has earned a group “acceptable rating” in updated side tests, primarily due to high driver pelvic damage metrics.
The Institute said the 2025 Volkswagen Taos “only” achieved a “acceptable rating” in small overlap front tests due to the failure to hold the safety cage, which is designed to protect residents. It also lacked in the updated medium overlap front test, earning a sub-rated headlight and pedestrian collision avoidance system.
“Volkswagen added playstors and load limiters to the TAOS’s rear seat belt in January 2025, but the chest injury metrics for the rear passenger remained high in medium overlap tests,” the report states.
Jamie L. Larrow is a senior Autos writer covering Ford Motor Company for the Detroit Free Press. Please contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jarouan. Sign up for our car newsletter. Become a subscriber.