The Honda That Gets IIHS' Top Safety Pick+ Rating For Small SUVs

The IIHS Top Safety Pick+ is the highest award that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an organization supported by auto insurance companies, can bestow on a vehicle that is sold in the U.S. market. Of all the new small SUVs currently available in the market, the only Honda to get the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ is the 2025 Honda HR-V, which our review found to be appealingly inexpensive. The 2025 Honda HR-V was in good company as one of 11 small SUVs that received this safety award, which carries a level of prestige among both manufacturers and car shoppers.

The standards required to achieve an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ have become a moving target, with the requirements being upgraded for 2025. Now, vehicles must achieve a Good rating in the moderate-overlap front crash test, whereas the 2024 standards allowed an Acceptable rating in this test. The moderate-overlap front crash test is a test of how well the rear-seat passengers fare in a crash, with a crash dummy placed behind the driver dummy to determine this. The 2025 tests reflect these upgrades to the testing criteria.

Another important aspect of the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ awards is the evaluation of a vehicle's headlight performance, which tests both the low beam and high beam illumination. In addition, there is testing of each vehicle's automatic emergency braking system to see how well it reacts to objects and pedestrians that appear in front of it at various speeds and angles.

The IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Award means that a given vehicle has met the IIHS criteria in several safety-related tests. These include a good rating in the small overlap front crash test, a good rating in the updated moderate overlap front crash test, a good rating in the updated side crash test, an acceptable or a good rating on the headlight tests, and an acceptable or a good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention test.  

Honda redesigned the HR-V for the 2023 model year, with the IIHS' ratings applying to 2023 through 2026 models, whose owners have reported some common problems. The IIHS' driver-side small overlap frontal ratings, passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings, and side impact ratings were based on a test of a 2023 HR-V. The moderate overlap front ratings were derived from Honda's testing of a 2024 HR-V. 

The Honda HR-V received an acceptable rating for its headlights and a good rating for its pedestrian front crash results. The headlights tested on the Honda HR-V are of the LED reflector type. The low beams were rated as providing good visibility on both straights and curves, while the high beams also performed well. In front crash prevention tests, the HR-V could avoid collisions with objects and pedestrians at lower speeds, but it could not come to a complete stop in time at higher speeds.

The 2026 Honda HR-V uses the same platform it has had since its 2023 redesign. It is a subcompact, two-row SUV that slots in below the compact CR-V. The HR-V is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 158 hp, mated to a CVT automatic transmission. Three trim levels are available — the base LX, the mid-range Sport, and the range-topping EX-L. Front-wheel drive is standard, but all-wheel drive is available on all trims as a $1,500 option. Performance testing done by Car and Driver using an all-wheel drive version produced a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 9.4 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 17.3 seconds at a terminal velocity of 85 mph. Braking distance from 70 mph to zero took 172 feet.

Pricing for the various trims of the 2026 Honda HR-V starts at $26,500 for the LX, $28,300 for the Sport, and $30,350 for the EX-L (all prices plus $1,450 destination). As far as the differences between them, the LX has features like 17-inch alloy wheels, a four-speaker audio system, a 9-inch color touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic climate control, and push-button start. The Sport adds remote engine start, 18-inch black alloy wheels, heated front seats, six speakers, and smart entry. Stepping up to the EX-L gets you heated leather seats, a powered driver's seat, a power moonroof, eight speakers, and dual-zone climate control. If you're in the market for a 2026 Honda HR-V, here are three new features that we're excited about.