Subaru’s 9 Top Safety Picks And What It Means For New Car Shoppers

Subaru Corporation announced that the 2023 Outback, 2023 Legacy, and the 2022 WRX were named 2022 Top Safety Pick+ winners by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Subaru has nine models currently available in the U.S. that have received IIHS Top Safety Pick awards.

What does it mean for new car shoppers? Subaru says they want to be the overall safety leader among U.S. automakers. They are achieving their goal because, since 2013, Subaru has received 66 Top Safety Pick+ awards, more than any other brand. (as of October). Are all Subaru models rated the same for safety?

Subaru's vehicles earning the highest crash safety achieved a 'Superior' rating in front crash prevention when equipped with the automaker's EyeSight driver assist safety technology. EyeSight comes standard on the 2023 Subaru Outback, 2023 Forester, 2023 Legacy, and 2023 Ascent. It comes on all 2023 Crosstrek, Impreza, WRX, and BRZ models with a CVT automatic transmission.

To earn the Top Safety Pick award or the highest Top Safety Pick+ award, vehicles must receive 'Good' ratings in each of IIHS's six crashworthiness evaluations; 'Good' or 'Acceptable' headlight ratings, and available front crash prevention that achieves "Advanced" or "Superior" ratings in both vehicle-to-vehicle and daytime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations. The 'Plus' is awarded to models that come exclusively with 'Good' or 'Acceptable' headlights.

Subaru’s U.S.-spec 2023 model Top Safety Pick + Winners (TSP)

2023 Legacy (TSP for 17 consecutive years)
2023 Outback (TSP for 14 consecutive years)
2022 WRX (with optional EyeSight) (First year for TSP+)
2023 Crosstrek Hybrid (TSP+ for four consecutive years)
2023 Forester (TSP for 16 consecutive years)
2022 Subaru BRZ (with optional EyeSight) (First year for TSP+)
2022 Ascent (TSP for five consecutive years)
Note: The IIHS has not tested the 2023 Ascent model year.

Subaru's U.S.-spec 2023 model Top Safety Pick Winners

2023 Impreza five-door (with optional EyeSight and specific headlights) (TSP for 15 consecutive years).

2023 Crosstrek (with optional EyeSight and specific headlights) (TSP for 11 consecutive years).

Why are the 2023 Subaru Crosstrek and 2023 Impreza rated lower than the Forester, Outback, Crosstrek Hybrid, Ascent, and Legacy? The Crosstrek and Impreza all come standard with a manual transmission, and Subaru’s EyeSight driver assist technology is incompatible with the manual gearbox. All CVT automatic transmission models get the highest safety scores.

Note: The IIHS has not tested the 2023 Subaru Solterra EV. In November, Solterra recently earned the top JNCAP five-star safety award.

The 2023 Outback, 2023 Legacy, 2023 Forester, 2023 Ascent, 2023 Solterra EV, and 2022 WRX come with the automaker's latest generation EyeSight that includes forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with complete stop, lane departure warning, lead vehicle start alert, rear vehicle detection, blind-spot detection, lane change assist, and a rear cross-traffic alert.

Customers who purchase the new 2023 Subaru models will have the safest vehicles available in crash protection today.

You Might Also Like: The 2023 Subaru Solterra Wins Its First Award - Top Five-Star Safety For A BEV

Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report, where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

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Photo credit: Subaru USA