Not a single vehicle from the four main GM brands achieved either “Top Safety Pick+” or “Top Safety Pick” status in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or IIHS safety awards for 2024, according to the nonprofit organization’s reveal of this year’s winners.
GM vehicles appear to have fallen short of the stricter safety requirements the IIHS introduced for 2024, though a total of 71 models managed to win either the Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ designation, according to the announcement.
The IIHS boosted the rigor of its safety standards for the second year in a row in 2024, following the introduction of more stringent qualifiers in 2023 as well. Notably, GM vehicles also failed to meet the required safety thresholds in 2023, with no models from any of The General’s brands ranking as a Top Safety Pick last year, either.
For 2023 the IIHS began requiring better performance in side crashes and improved pedestrian crash avoidance technology, along with disqualifying models with low-quality headlights. For 2024, an “acceptable” rating in the side crash test no longer allows a vehicle to potentially become a Top Safety Pick, with a “good” rating now needed.
Additionally, vehicles must be rated as “acceptable” or “good” in front pedestrian crash avoidance for both daytime and night to quality for one of the awards. Previously, only a daytime rating was needed and nighttime performance did not affect eligibility.
IIHS has also changed the results needed to qualify for success in the moderate front overlap test. This test requires a “good” rating for protection of the driver for a vehicle to be eligible for a Top Safety Pick award, similar to previous years. However, for 2024, eligibility for a Top Safety Pick+ requires an “acceptable” or “good” rating for a test with a second dummy in the back seat to demonstrate back seat safety, too.
Other changes include requiring acceptable or good quality headlights on all trim levels of a specific model. Seemingly, no GM models were able to meet all of the requirements to reach either category. A GM spokesperson provided the following statement when we asked for a possible explanation. “The safety of our products is the highest priority for the entire GM team. We are confident in the safety of our vehicles as they undergo rigorous internal testing to meet or exceed all applicable standards set by regulatory authorities, such as NHTSA. We also value the IIHS ratings, and we design our vehicles to perform well in the various IIHS evaluation conditions.”
Out of the 71 qualifying models 49 were Top Safety Picks and 22 achieved Top Safety Pick+ safety ratings. Hyundai’s three brands of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis gained the most awards, with 16 models qualifying overall. Toyota was second with 12 and Mazda took third place with six, five of which were in the “plus” category.
American car brands were very few and far between, with only the Ford Explorer, Tesla Model Y, and two Jeeps on the list. Most of the winners were SUVs, with the president of the IIHS David Harkey stating “it’s disappointing that only four pickups and four midsize cars earn awards, considering the popularity of those classes.”
The more stringent standards, Harkey noted, also ensured that the 2024 “winners are true standouts, offering the highest level of protection for both vehicle occupants and other vulnerable road users.”
Before the stricter qualifications were introduced in 2023 and 2024, several GM vehicles, including the Buick Encore GX, the Chevy Trailblazer, and the Cadillac XT6 won a Top Safety Pick award for 2022.
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“ The safety of our products is the highest priority for the entire GM team. We are confident in the safety of our vehicles as they undergo rigorous internal testing to meet or exceed all applicable standards set by regulatory authorities, such as NHTSA. We also value the IIHS ratings, and we design our vehicles to perform well in the various IIHS evaluation conditions.”
Typical corporate America PR B$.
They feed out what they eat.
All these modern vehicles are more than safe enough. It’s not like they’re going to collapse like paper mache the way that 2001 F-150 did.
The tldr of the PR-speak…
We built our vehicles to meet NHTSA’s minimum requirements for vehicle sale. We don’t give a crap about IIHS safety tests.
2 years ago gm had numerous models achieve the plus rating. Funny how none of those vehicles have been updated but now all of a sudden they do not qualify for the plus? How is that possible when they are the same exact vehicle with the same safety as before but now they aren’t as safe. Lol.
Governmental standards increasing difficult to meet in vehicle safety, cafe mpg, and tailpipe emissions. Let’s go back to horse’s & buggies. No wait, methane from horse poop!
Better yet, let’s regulate the companies out of business…..
GMs new models, including the Trax and Envista, among others, haven’t been tested yet. But, blame it on the absurd EV Pivot that took all of their attention, probably, away from existing models.
It doesn’t look like they’ve tested a Buick since 2020! Certainly haven’t tested the current generation of Buick Envision! If they’re not testing every car every year they’re defrauding the public with flawed information and ratings!
But at least gm is a woke corporation. That has to account for something right?
I would like to purchase either a Trax or an Envista, but I’m holding off until I see crash test results. If the results aren’t good, I’ll have to consider another model, unfortunately.
Why buy a vehicle expecting to get into an accident?
These tests are like all the the covid bs and the democrat party . Dont believe a word of it . My family has been in 4 major accidents in the last 25 years and through the grace of God and a GM vehicle have walked away unhurt .
Don’t bother with the facts. Just keep pushing your agenda.
The fact is that all these GM vehicles earned good crash test ratings from the same organizations. The IIHS feels it has to stay relevant by constantly changing the tests, changing the results in the process. All at the expense of the consumer, who pays for the constant engineering work and costs associated with manufacturing complex components. It makes the vehicles more costly to repair and the vehicles have increased in weight as the tests become more stringent. People whine about how vehicles in the 70’s and 80’s achieved fuel economy that was as good as many vehicles sold in the last 19 to 15 years. That was because those vehicles were much lighter and safety was the responsibility of the driver.
I couldn’t care less. In my 49 years of driving the 20-30 vehicles I’ve owned, not once did a safety rating concern ever enter my mind or influence a purchase decision. The only example I can think of was the Ford Pinto, but I never owned one of those. In fact the early Mustangs and probably Mavericks had a similar exhaust/gas tank set up but the press didn’t ever figure it out.
Sad results for GM. We personally will buy a Safety + vehicle in 2024. Not sure which yet. Glad these tests have forced manufacturers to build stronger, safer vehicles and allow the public to know how vehicles perform.
They feed out what they eat.
So you’re buying a vehicle expecting to get into an accident? That makes no sense at all.
I wouldn’t get too worked up about these IIHS results. IIHS sets it’s own criteria and standards over and above NHTSA which are what is legally required. These standards are a moving target as stated here; “We followed the tougher requirements we introduced last year with another major update to the award criteria in 2024,” said IIHS President David Harkey. Manufacturers cannot typically reengineer a mass-produced product to meet moving targets on the fly. It seems to me that some of these results may just be good timing, or more likely, good luck on behalf of the manufacturer. For example; the Large Luxury Car classification lists just the Electric version of the Hyundai/Genesis G80. Not the Mercedes S-class, BMW 7-series, Audi A8 or any other large luxury vehicle typically known for crashworthiness and occupant protection. Same with very similar models from sister manufacturers. The Kia Telluride but not the Hyundai Palisade? The Acura Integra but not the Honda Civic? They’re basically the same car. To me, these ratings, just like JD Power, are a very small sample isolated by a few specific criteria which change every year. I’ll take a Suburban, Expedition, S-class or X7 if I have to be involved in an accident and have a choice of the vehicle I’ll have it in.
So we should trust internal testing at GM ? Just like at Boeing ?
You mean they got a chance to test a kia before it was stolen ?
Don’t tell me a kia is safer than any GM vehicle.
Brighter lights is the new standard ?
How is that safe for other drivers while being blinded ?
I had a kia. They cut corners to get that low price. Outside environment and road noise was horrible. Little to no sound insulation in doors and firewall.
They left out an immobilizer which is why it was easy to steal for stupid tiktok challenge.
The IIHS change their testing procedures to make them more difficult. GM hasn’t had a chance to redesign any of their platforms. They passed the tests that were in place when the platforms were designed. Kia designed their platform when the new more difficult tests were in place.