The Telluride’s mid-year headlight fix illustrates how IIHS criteria are now driving OEM production decisions at the component level
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has granted Top Safety Pick+ awards to the 2027 Kia Telluride and the 2026-27 Tesla Model Y, the only two of seven newly tested models to qualify for either award. A build-date condition restricts the Kia award to units produced after June 2026, when a headlight upgrade resolved earlier marginal ratings.
To earn either award, vehicles must achieve good ratings across the moderate overlap front, small overlap front, and side crash tests, with acceptable or better headlights standard across all trims. Top Safety Pick+ additionally demands a good pedestrian front crash prevention score and at least an acceptable result in the vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) front crash prevention 2.0 evaluation, introduced in 2024 and now shaping the competitive field.
The Model Y, redesigned for the 2026 model year, achieved good ratings across all crash, headlight, and front crash prevention categories. The 2027 Telluride posted equivalent scores for post-June production; the same redesign initially shipped with headlights that rated only marginal, disqualifying units built before the upgrade took effect.
Of the five models rated but not recognised, the 2026 BMW i4 drew the weakest outcome: a poor V2V score, an incomplete small overlap front result, and headlights rated marginal to poor across trims. The GMC Canyon crew cab also received a poor V2V rating; the BMW 3 Series, Lexus IS, and Toyota Crown Signia each miss the threshold in at least one category.
Source: IIHS