This SUV Beat Out The Toyota RAV4 For 2026's Top Safety Award

Along with the expected considerations such as price, fuel efficiency, and interior space, safety is naturally going to be an important factor for today's crossover SUV shoppers who are comparing different models. While buyers can look at manufacturer specs and get a feel for a vehicle's standard or optional safety systems during a test drive, it can sometimes take a while for new models to be crash-tested and given ratings by organizations like the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The IIHS recently published ratings for six models, including the redesigned 2026 Toyota RAV4. This is a fairly big deal, given the RAV4's recent move to a new generation model and its long-held status as one of America's top-selling vehicles — SUV or otherwise. However, of this bunch, it's not the RAV4 that earned the coveted IIHS Top Safety Pick award. It's the Nissan Kicks crossover.

Despite competing in the smaller, less expensive subcompact SUV segment, the 2026-2027 Nissan Kicks outperformed the larger Toyota RAV4 in IIHS crash testing, with its advantage coming in one key area that focuses on protection for second-row passengers. Exactly how much better did the Nissan Kicks perform than the RAV4, and is this result likely to shift any buyers away from the Toyota? Let's break it down. 

The Kicks is Nissan's candidate for the subcompact crossover SUV segment, and it's not only one of the more affordable vehicles in the brand's portfolio, but also one of the cheapest new vehicles you can buy right now, period.  The Kicks received a major redesign for the 2025 model year, and while it didn't have a particularly exciting driving experience during our time behind the wheel of the Nissan Kicks, we appreciated its low price and high level of equipment. 

In the first test, the 2025 model year Nissan Kicks initially earned a "poor" rating in the difficult moderate overlap front crash test, which focuses on rear-seat passenger safety. In response, Nissan updated the rear seat belt design, and the IIHS retested the 2026-2027 Kicks to see if the car performed any better. It did, with Kicks models built after June 2026 now earning a "good" rating in the moderate overlap test. This is enough to earn the car a Top Safety Pick designation.

The 2026 RAV4, meanwhile, earned a "good" rating in every category except for that same moderate overlap front test, where it was rated "acceptable." Notably, the 2026 RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid, which was tested separately, earned a lower "marginal" rating in the same test, with IIHS rating its rear-seat restraints and dummy kinematics "poor." This was enough for both versions of the RAV4 to miss the Top Safety Pick award this time around. However, given that Nissan was able to improve the Kicks' performance by fixing the rear seat belts, it's possible Toyota could improve the RAV4's moderate overlap rating.

The one area where the RAV4 outperformed the Nissan Kicks was in the testing of its front vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention system, where the Toyota earned a "good" rating to the Nissan's "marginal" score. This category, though, isn't required for a Top Safety Pick. It only counts toward the higher Top Safety Pick+ award, which the Kicks missed as a result. 

As for the Kicks' outperforming the RAV4 in this batch of IIHS tests, we can't imagine the result swaying many buyers from one model to the other, as these SUVs compete in different classes. The more direct Nissan rival to the RAV4 in the compact segment is the Rogue, which earned the same "acceptable" rating as the Toyota in the moderate overlap crash test.

For now, the IIHS ratings seem unlikely to affect the new RAV4's popularity, with Toyota still struggling to keep up with demand for its redesigned SUV. However, for buyers open to moving down to the subcompact class or who are simply looking at smaller crossovers in general, the Nissan Kicks looks like a choice that will punch above its weight, and its price point, when it comes to safety.