Why the 2016 Toyota Highlander Just Earned This Top Safety Rating

The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS) has rated the Toyota Highlander a Top Safety Pick Plus (TSP+) in 2014, 2015, and now again in 2016. The IIHS has been increasing its threshold for this highest safety rating, and the Highlander has consistently been updating its already impressive suite of safety technology to stay at the very top of its segment.

Last year, the 2015 Toyota Highlander earned the top IIHS score, but its score of “Acceptable” on the important small frontal overlap crash test would not have earned it the highest rating for 2016. That is because for 2016 IIHS upped the ante. All vehicles must score a “Good” on all crash tests and also have advanced forward collision prevention with full auto braking to earn a TSP+ rating. Toyota added reinforcements to its front corners and submitted a 2016 Highlander for testing. This week it passed with flying colors and continues its legacy of earning the top score.

The Highlander isn’t just a safe vehicle on paper an din the test lab either. When IIHS and its data collection division looked back and tallied up how many driver deaths per million registered vehicle years the Highlander AWD had, it was one of only nine vehicles in the entire U.S. fleet that earned a score of “Zero driver deaths.” (A registered vehicle year is one vehicle registered for one year) The Lexus RX 350 AWD and Toyota Sequoia 4WD were two of the other nine. No other manufacturer could match this amazingly low rate of driver deaths.

See the 2016 Highlander's full IIHS report here.