It won’t come as a surprise, but Volvo won the most IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award by any car manufacturer in 2022. Top Safety Pick+ is Highway Safety Insurance Institute top prize. Volvo has amassed 13 awards, spanning its entire product line.
IIHS and Volvo differentiate models between petrol and electric versions of the same vehicle, although tests may be conducted on only one variant. Eg, XC60 Recharging earns TSP+ even if tests were conducted using the gasoline-powered XC60 T5 and T6 models. Similarly, the C40 Recharge received an award even though the actual test was conducted on a XC40 Charging.
Also, as with Mazda’s TSP+ Rankings from earlier this year, some are carried over to the 2022 model year from tests on previous models. This is only when the model does not have significant changes. For example, the XC60’s 2022 rating is based on the 2018 model crash test.
The IIHS performs six tests on each vehicle – one moderately overlapping frontal crash, two small overlapping frontal crashes for both driver and passenger, one side crash, hit Roof strength rating and headrest test using car seats only. Results are ranked out of four levels, with a green “Good” marker indicating the top tier.
In addition to collisions, Volvo earned top marks for standard safety features such as forward collision warning, automatic emergency brakeand detect pedestrians and cyclists.
It should be noted that most Volvo models earn an “Acceptable” rating for the ease of use of the LATCH safety seats. This is the second best rating, but doesn’t affect crash worthiness and shouldn’t matter if you’re not using a child seat. XC40 models received a “Poor” rating for the seat belt reminder, which the IIHS considers not large enough or not long enough. Some models like S90 and the XC60 received an “Acceptable” rating for the headlights, with the IIHS expecting brighter beams when turning.
Despite these minor breakdowns, the overall ratings are still impressive. It should be noted that even V60 and V90 wagon, is (painfully beautiful but tragic) discontinued in the US, also received a TSP+ rating despite not being included among the 13 2022 models.
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