IONIQ 5, Sportage named safest cars by IIHS

Hyundai Motor Co. 's crossover electric vehicle (EV) sport-utility vehicle (SUV) IONIQ 5 and Kia Corp. 's best-selling SUV Sportage earned a Top Safety Pick Plus (TSP+) by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the US, Hyundai Motor Group announced on Monday.

IIHS was founded in 1959. It is an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries and property damage from motor vehicle crashes in the US.

To qualify for the TSP+, a vehicle must earn a good rating in the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, original moderate overlap front and updated side tests. Acceptable or good headlights must be standard across all trims, and a front crash prevention system that earns advanced or superior ratings in both the daytime and nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations must be available.

In contrast, for the lower-tier TSP award, an acceptable rating in the updated side test is enough, and only an advanced or superior rating in the daytime vehicle-to-pedestrian test is necessary.

This year, the IIHS crash test has become more challenging. The object used in the side impact test is now 1,896 kg, up from 1,497 kg. The speed of impact is now 59.5 kmh, up from 49.8 kmh. That's an 82% increase in impact energy.
 
Hyundai Motor Group has 10 models that have earned the TSP+ rating under tougher tests: Genesis G90, Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride, Genesis GV60, Genesis GV70 and Electrified GV70, Genesis GV80, Hyundai IONIQ 6, Genesis G80 and Electrified G80. 

Write to Nan-Sae Bin at binthere@hankyung.com