The Only Large SUVs Rated As Top Safety Pick+ Aren't From Ford Or Chevy

The dangers of big SUVs have been around for years, but you might think that their safety ratings would be pretty good by now. The truth of the matter? At this point in time, only four large SUVs — as defined by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) — have earned the Top Safety Pick+ status for the 2025 model year.

What's also interesting is who didn't make the cut: Major players in the segment, including the Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition, and Jeep Wagoneer, aren't here. Instead, the qualifying quartet comprises the all-electric Rivian R1S, Nissan Armada, the luxury version of that machine (the Infiniti QX80), and the three-row Audi Q7 — although not the sleeker two-row Q8 that rides on the same platform.

We'll take a closer look at these SUVs' safety results below, but let's first do a quick refresher on the IIHS testing regimen. For the highest IIHS ranking, Top Safety Pick+, the large SUVs needed "Good" ratings in crash tests for small overlap front, moderate overlap front, and side impacts, along with "Good" or "Acceptable" ratings in the headlight test and tests of pedestrian front crash-prevention systems (such as pedestrian detection with forward automatic braking).

In addition, there are IIHS tests for vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention, seat belt reminder systems, and ease of child-seat latching. These aren't currently part of the Top Safety Pick protocol, although it should be noted that IIHS crash tests have evolved over the years, so that could change.

The 2025 Rivian R1S is faster, smarter, and even more fun than previous models. The company continues to show how technology can be used to improve safety over time as well — thanks to its ability to send out over-the-air updates to its vehicles' ADAS software, for instance. Hardware updates for 2025 made a difference, too. 

The IIHS named the 2024 R1S a regular Top Safety Pick — without the "+" — because it only received a "Marginal" score in the moderate front-overlap crash test. The structural changes for 2025 improved that result to a "Good" grade to secure the highest possible IIHS accolade — note that due to the timing of the upgrades, the Top Safety Pick+ grade only applies to 2025 models built after August 2024.

The R1S also garnered good grades in almost every other IIHS test for the 2025 model year, even for seat belt reminders and child-seat latching. The only exception was for its overall headlight rating, which was Acceptable for Rivian's large SUVs. The issues here were some glare from the low beams and only fair visibility in some curves. Finally, the IIHS recognized the R1S for providing standard blind-spot detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping system, and rear automatic braking.

Now boasting more goodies from the internationally known Nissan Patrol on which it's based, the Nissan Armada finally lives up to its heritage backed by a full redesign for 2025. The upgrades were so extensive that the Armada is the only mainstream SUV with Top Safety Pick+ status for the 2025 model year. Yet it has nearly the exact same IIHS results as the Rivian R1S, with a base price that's nearly $20,000 lower.

That means the 2025 Armada checks in with Good scores for all crash tests — small front overlap, moderate front overlap, and side — and the same marks for front pedestrian crash prevention and seat belt reminders. Moreover, the Armada had the same Acceptable rating for headlights, getting dinged for inadequate visibility in some left-hand curves. 

One place the Nissan exceeded the Rivian was in dealing with child seats, since the Armada has more locations with actual LATCH — Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children — compatibility. Of course, there is a bit of an asterisk needed here. The IIHS didn't crash test a 2025 Nissan Armada. If you dig deep enough, you'll see the Armada's crash results are based on those of the 2025 Infiniti QX80.

As mentioned, the 2025 Infiniti QX80 and Nissan Armada are pretty similar vehicles, and that kind of situation — where one automaker uses the same platform for its separate mainstream and luxury vehicles — isn't uncommon. There are some differences, though: Inside you'll probably notice touches like Infiniti's King Tut looking headrests in the QX80, and Infiniti's exterior design flourishes make that model a few inches longer than the Armada. Under the hood, despite sharing the same twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engines rated to deliver 516 pound-feet of torque, the QX80 has a bigger herd of horses: 450 to the Armada's 425.

The similarities for our purposes start with the obvious: The crash tests, involving the same vehicle, obviously produced the same results. Both SUVs also received Good marks for their front pedestrian crash-avoidance technologies, and both were noted for standard ADAS technologies for blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure/lane-keeping systems, and reverse auto braking. But while the Armada had trouble providing acceptable levels of visibility in certain left-hand turn situations, the QX80 didn't drop below a fair grade in those situations. In the end, it translated into a Good headlight result for the lux SUV and an Acceptable for its mainstream alternative.

Things worked out well for the big three-row SUV from the four-rings brand. Yes, it's actually the shortest model here — about an inch smaller in length than the Rivian R1S — but the 2025 Audi Q7 just wants to be liked, and it's found some admirers at the IIHS.

The Q7's results were highlighted by Good ratings for the three IIHS crash tests and for seat belt reminders, while it did face some challenges in other categories. For example, in the headlight testing, only the highest trim level – Prestige — had overall Good grades. The IIHS rated the Premium and Premium Plus trims' headlights as Acceptable since straight-line high-beam visibility was called inadequate on the right side. Also considered Acceptable was the Q7's performance in pedestrian front-crash avoidance. In this round of tests — conducted at different speeds, and at day and night with child and adult stand-ins — the Q7 couldn't avoid a collision with a child in the 12 mph test, nor with two adults walking in parallel at night with the vehicle at 37 mph.

It's also worth reporting that the Q7 was the only one of the large SUV Top Safety Pick+ vehicles to undergo the IIHS tests for vehicle-to-vehicle front-crash prevention. Remember, these results don't count in the Top Safety scores — and the Q7 received a Poor overall grade in this test.