The annual Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) marks are in, and the Tesla Cybertruck received the highest safety rating, an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ distinction for 2026.
To earn a Top Safety Pick+ designation, a vehicle has to perform almost perfectly in every crash scenario as well as receive top marks in pedestrian crash prevention and headlight performance.
The Cybertruck received the highest possible crash rating in the small-overlap front, updated side, and moderate-overlap front tests. These impressive scores were attributed to a mid-year structural update that Tesla engineers made to the vehicle’s front underbody and footwell. These small tweaks significantly improved the Cybertruck’s ability to protect the driver and passengers during front-side impacts.
In addition, the Cybertruck earned a good rating for pedestrian crash prevention and avoided or mitigated collisions involving child and adult crossing dummies during daytime and nighttime testing.
Finally, the Cybertrucks LED lightbar and low beams met the strictest criteria for headlight performance, which blends excellent road visibility with the effect the lights have on oncoming traffic.
What made these marks and distinctions even more impressive was that the Cybertruck was the only pickup truck in 2026 to receive the Top Safety Pick+ rating. In fact, some of the most popular trucks on the market failed to qualify for the IIHS safety award at all, with Ford, Dodge and GMC all having no pickups designated as a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+.
