Kia Telluride, EV9 Earn 2025 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Awards

• 2025 Telluride maintains TSP+ status for the third consecutive year, meeting IIHS’s increasingly stringent criteria
• 2025 EV9 earns an upgraded safety rating, achieving TSP+ designation

The 2025 Kia Telluride and 2025 EV9 have both been awarded the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) TOP SAFETY PICK+ (TSP+) designation. The Telluride secured the IIHS’s highest honor for the third consecutive year, even as the IIHS continues to raise the bar for safety requirements, while the all-electric EV9 earns an upgraded rating compared to last year.

“IIHS Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards reinforce our dedication to building vehicles that not only perform but also provide peace of mind,” said Steven Center, COO & EVP, Kia America. “As the IIHS’s safety expectations continue to rise, we remain committed to meeting these standards.”

The 2025 Telluride continues to set the benchmark in its class, combining cutting-edge technology, advanced driver assistance systems, and premium comfort. For those seeking an electrified-three-row SUV, the EV9 offers an impressive combination of forward-thinking design, spaciousness, upscale interior appointments, engaging driving performance, and fast-charging capabilities.

For 2025, the IIHS has further tightened its standards, placing a greater emphasis on rear-seat passenger protection. The updated moderate overlap front crash test now includes a second dummy positioned behind the driver to evaluate back seat safety. Last year, a vehicle could earn a TSP award with a good rating in the original test, while an acceptable or good rating in the updated test was required for the TSP+ designation. This year, the original test has been phased out, meaning vehicles must now receive at least an acceptable rating in the updated test to qualify for TSP and a good rating to earn TSP+.

To earn a TSP/TSP+ award, vehicles must also earn good ratings in the small overlap front and updated side tests as well as an acceptable or good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention evaluation, which gauges performance in both daytime and nighttime conditions. All trims must be equipped with acceptable- or good-rated headlights. For more information on the changes to the award criteria, visit IIHS.org.