Safest Cars for Back-Seat Passengers 2026 (IIHS List)

Q: Which cars are safest for back-seat passengers in 2026?

47 of the 155 current models IIHS has run through the updated moderate-overlap test earn Good on rear-passenger restraints and kinematics, and 87 earn Good overall. The highest-scoring of them in our ranking is the 2026 Genesis GV80 (98.6/100). The full list by class is on this page.

Q: What does the IIHS updated moderate overlap test measure?

The updated moderate-overlap front test adds a second dummy, sized like a small woman or a 12-year-old, in the seat behind the driver. IIHS measures head, neck, chest and thigh injury risk for that dummy and watches whether the belt stays on the pelvis and shoulder, whether the head moves too far forward, and whether the head is protected during rebound. The overall grade combines the driver result with the rear-passenger result.

Q: Which cars have the worst rear-seat protection?

11 current models are rated Poor on rear-passenger restraints and 35 are Marginal; 19 earn a Poor overall result in the updated test. The worst-rear-seat table on this page lists all of them with their subscores.

Q: Is the back seat still the safest place for children?

Yes. IIHS still says the back seat is the safest place for children under 13, regardless of the updated test result, because frontal airbags are designed for adults and the rear seat is farther from most impact points. The updated test measures how well the belt protects a belted adult-sized occupant; it does not change the advice on where children ride.

Q: Does a Top Safety Pick guarantee a good back seat?

For 2026 both Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ require a Good overall result in the updated moderate-overlap test, so any current award winner has passed the rear-seat evaluation. The award does not require a Good result on every rear subscore, which is why some award winners on this page show Acceptable rear restraints.

Of the 155 current models IIHS has run through the updated moderate-overlap test, 87 earn Good for rear-passenger protection and only 47 earn Good on rear-seat restraints. The highest-scoring of them in our ranking is the 2026 Genesis GV80 (98.6/100, an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award). 42 more current models have not been through the updated test at all, so they cannot be judged on rear-seat protection yet. The full list by class is below. It shares that score with the 2026 Lincoln Nautilus and 2027 Tesla Model Y; tied vehicles share the rank, and the order between them is not a verdict.

87

Good overall (of 155)

47

Good rear restraints

144

Good rear head protection

11

Poor rear restraints

Every 2026 model rated Good on rear-seat restraints, by class

47 models across 11 classes. Within each class, models are ordered by our published safety score. "Rank" is the model's position among all 45 Good-rear-restraint models with a complete IIHS record; a model without a rank is still missing a required test and is shown for information only.

Rank	Vehicle	Updated test overall	Rear restraints	Rear head	IIHS award	Score
Small SUVs 8 of 33 tested earn Good on rear restraints
#15	2026 Mazda CX 5	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	95.6
#22	2026 Subaru Forester	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	94.3
#29	2026 Hyundai IONIQ 5	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	93.1
#33	2026 Genesis GV60	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	91.7
Provisional	2026 Volvo XC40	Good	Good	Good	None	83.2

#43	2026 Buick Envista	Poor	Good	Good	None	63.7
#43	2026 Chevrolet Trax	Poor	Good	Good	None	63.7
#45	2026 Jeep Compass	Poor	Good	Good	None	54.1
Midsize SUVs 15 of 33 tested earn Good on rear restraints
#7	2026 Honda Passport	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	96.8
#7	2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	96.8
#7	2026 Kia EV9	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	96.8
#7	2027 Kia Telluride	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	96.8
#7	2026 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport	Good	Good	Good	TSP	96.8
#15	2026 Ford Mustang Mach E	Good	Good	Good	TSP	95.6
#22	2026 Mazda CX 70	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	94.3
#22	2026 Mazda CX 90	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	94.3
#22	2026 Mazda CX 90 PHEV	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	94.3
#30	2026 Mazda CX 70 PHEV	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	92.9
#30	2026 Nissan Murano	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	92.9
#35	2026 Toyota Grand Highlander	Good	Good	Good	None	91.3
#38	2026 Chevrolet Blazer EV	Good	Good	Good	None	89.4
#41	2026 Ford Bronco	Marginal	Good	Good	None	77.8
#42	2026 Jeep Wrangler	Good	Good	Good	None	77.3
Midsize luxury SUVs 11 of 24 tested earn Good on rear restraints
#1	2026 Genesis GV80	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	98.6
#1	2026 Lincoln Nautilus	Good	Good	Good	TSP	98.6
#1	2027 Tesla Model Y	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	98.6
#4	2026 Audi Q5	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	97.2
#4	2026 Audi Q5 Sportback	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	97.2
#4	2026 BMW X3	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	97.2
#14	2026 Mercedes-Benz GLE Class	Good	Good	Good	None	96.1
#17	2026 Infiniti QX60	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	94.8
#18	2026 Genesis Electrified GV70	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	94.7
#18	2026 Genesis GV70	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	94.7
#36	2026 Volvo XC60	Good	Good	Good	None	90.6
Large SUVs 1 of 6 tested earn Good on rear restraints
Provisional	2026 Jeep Grand Wagoneer	Marginal	Good	Good	None	72.5
Large luxury SUVs 2 of 4 tested earn Good on rear restraints
#12	2026 Volvo EX90	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	96.5
#27	2026 Rivian R1S	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	94.0
Small cars 2 of 16 tested earn Good on rear restraints
#26	2026 Hyundai Elantra	Good	Good	Good	TSP	94.1
#37	2026 Kia K4	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	89.6
Midsize cars 1 of 6 tested earn Good on rear restraints
#21	2026 Honda Accord	Good	Good	Good	TSP	94.4
Midsize luxury cars 3 of 8 tested earn Good on rear restraints
#18	2026 Mercedes-Benz C Class	Good	Good	Good	TSP	94.7
#33	2026 Tesla Model 3	Acceptable	Good	Good	None	91.7
#39	2026 Audi A3	Good	Good	Good	None	79.7
Large cars 1 of 4 tested earn Good on rear restraints
#32	2027 Audi A6 Sportback e-tron	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	92.6
Small pickups 1 of 9 tested earn Good on rear restraints
#40	2026 Jeep Gladiator	Good	Good	Good	None	78.3
Large pickups 2 of 7 tested earn Good on rear restraints
#12	2026 Tesla Cybertruck	Good	Good	Good	TSP+	96.5
#27	2026 Toyota Tundra	Good	Good	Good	TSP	94.0

"Updated test overall" is the IIHS moderate overlap front: updated test rating. "Rear restraints" is the rear passenger restraints and dummy kinematics subscore; "Rear head" is the rear passenger head protection subscore. Score is our published composite (55% primary IIHS tests, 25% selected details, 10% pedestrian front crash prevention, 10% class context); it is a comparison aid, not a guarantee. No Minivans, Large luxury cars model has earned Good on rear restraints yet. See the methodology.

The worst rear seats: Poor or Marginal on rear restraints

46 current models, Poor first. Several earn a Good overall grade in the older driver-only tests, which is exactly why the rear-seat subscores are worth reading on their own.

Vehicle	Class	Rear restraints	Rear head	Updated test overall	IIHS award
2026 Ford F 150 Lightning	Large pickups	Poor	Not reported	Poor	None
2026 Ford F 150	Large pickups	Poor	Acceptable	Poor	None
2026 Ram 1500	Large pickups	Poor	Good	Poor	None
2027 Honda CR V	Small SUVs	Poor	Good	Poor	None
2026 Volkswagen Tiguan	Midsize SUVs	Poor	Good	Poor	None
2026 Lexus RX	Midsize luxury SUVs	Poor	Good	Poor	None
2026 Nissan Altima	Midsize cars	Poor	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Lexus UX	Small SUVs	Poor	Not reported	Marginal	None
2026 Kia EV6	Small SUVs	Poor	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Toyota Tacoma	Small pickups	Poor	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Toyota Sienna	Minivans	Poor	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Kia K5	Midsize cars	Marginal	Good	Poor	None
2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500	Large pickups	Marginal	Good	Poor	None
2026 Honda Ridgeline	Small pickups	Marginal	Good	Poor	None
2026 Chevrolet Tahoe	Large SUVs	Marginal	Good	Poor	None
2026 Subaru WRX	Small cars	Marginal	Good	Poor	None
2026 Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron	Midsize luxury SUVs	Marginal	Good	Poor	None
2026 Audi Q4 e-tron	Midsize luxury SUVs	Marginal	Good	Poor	None
2026 Audi Q8	Large SUVs	Marginal	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Nissan Kicks	Small SUVs	Marginal	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Ford Bronco Sport	Small SUVs	Marginal	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Kia K4	Small cars	Marginal	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Toyota Sequoia	Large SUVs	Marginal	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Mercedes-Benz E Class	Large cars	Marginal	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Subaru Crosstrek	Small cars	Marginal	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Subaru Impreza	Small cars	Marginal	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Toyota 4Runner	Midsize SUVs	Marginal	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Ford Maverick	Small pickups	Marginal	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Toyota Highlander	Midsize SUVs	Marginal	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Toyota Corolla	Small cars	Marginal	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Toyota Crown Signia	Midsize SUVs	Marginal	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Toyota Land Cruiser	Midsize SUVs	Marginal	Good	Marginal	None
2026 Genesis G90	Large cars	Marginal	Good	Acceptable	None
2026 BMW 3 Series	Midsize luxury cars	Marginal	Good	Acceptable	None
2026 Acura Integra	Small cars	Marginal	Good	Acceptable	None
2026 Toyota Corolla Cross	Small SUVs	Marginal	Good	Acceptable	None
2026 Rivian R1T	Large pickups	Marginal	Acceptable	Acceptable	None
2026 Honda Civic	Small cars	Marginal	Good	Acceptable	None
2026 Acura ADX	Small SUVs	Marginal	Good	Acceptable	None
2026 Chevrolet Traverse	Midsize SUVs	Marginal	Good	Acceptable	None
2026 GMC Acadia	Midsize SUVs	Marginal	Good	Acceptable	None
2026 Acura MDX	Midsize luxury SUVs	Marginal	Good	Acceptable	None
2026 Honda Pilot	Midsize SUVs	Marginal	Good	Acceptable	None
2026 Genesis G80	Large cars	Marginal	Acceptable	Good	TSP+
2026 Kia Sorento	Midsize SUVs	Marginal	Good	Good	TSP+
2026 Hyundai Palisade	Midsize SUVs	Marginal	Good	Good	TSP+

A Poor or Marginal restraint result usually means the rear dummy's belt loaded the abdomen (submarining) or the head moved too far forward, not that the cabin collapsed. IIHS sometimes limits a rating to vehicles built after a stated month; the certification label on the driver's door jamb shows the build date.

Why the back seat needed its own test

The back seat is still the right place for children under 13. But a gap opened in newer vehicles: front-seat belts and airbags improved faster than rear-seat restraints, and IIHS found that belted adults in back faced a higher risk of fatal injury than belted adults in front in some frontal crashes.

Modern front belts have a pretensioner that tightens the instant a crash begins and a force limiter that lets a controlled amount of webbing spool out so the chest is not overloaded. Automakers were slower to bring those parts to the second row, and the original moderate-overlap test, which used only a driver dummy, could not see the difference.

So IIHS changed the test. The car still hits a deformable barrier at 40 mph with 40% of its width, but a second dummy now rides behind the driver. That dummy represents a small woman or a 12-year-old. Engineers look for enough space between its head and the front seatback, no hard head contact, a lap belt that stays on the pelvis instead of sliding into the abdomen, a shoulder belt that stays on the chest, and side-curtain coverage that contains the head during rebound.

Three terms carry most of the meaning: head excursion (how far the head travels forward), submarining (the pelvis sliding under the lap belt, which loads soft tissue instead of bone) and chest measures (belt force on the rib cage). These are restraint problems, not cabin-strength problems, which is why a model with a strong structure can still land in the worst table above.

How to read the ratings before you buy

Open the IIHS rating for the exact model year and find "Moderate overlap front: updated test". Do not substitute the original moderate-overlap result. Then read the overall rating, the rear-passenger head and neck, chest, and thigh injury measures, and the rear-passenger restraints and kinematics line, which is the column this page sorts on. Check for a note limiting the rating to a build date; some manufacturers changed rear belts mid-year.

For 2026, both Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ require a Good result in the updated moderate-overlap test, so any current award winner has passed. The award does not require Good on every subscore, and 41 of the 47 Good-restraint models on this page also earn Good overall; the rest earned Good on restraints but were pulled down on another measure, or the reverse.

What the test does not tell you

Rear crashworthiness and child-seat fit answer different questions. The updated test measures how well the belt protects a belted, adult-sized rear dummy. A LATCH ease-of-use rating measures how easy the anchors are to find and use. Neither proves that three child seats fit, that a particular seat installs correctly, or that a booster rider gets a good belt fit. Bring the actual restraints to the dealer and install them by both manuals; check top-tether access, buckle reach, and whether a booster rider can buckle alone without routing the belt behind the back.

A restraint also cannot work if it is not worn, and rear-seat belt use is lower than front-seat use. IIHS has rated seat-belt reminder systems since 2022. NHTSA's enhanced front-seat reminder rule applies to new vehicles from September 1, 2026, and rear-seat reminders are scheduled for September 1, 2027, so what an individual 2026 vehicle monitors still varies. Some systems detect an unbuckled occupied seat; others only warn when a fastened belt is released.

A rear-seat shopping checklist

Look for Good (or at least Acceptable) in the updated moderate-overlap test, and read the rear restraint subscore, not only the overall grade.
Confirm the rating applies to the vehicle's build date.
Check whether the manufacturer documents rear pretensioners and force limiters.
Read the seat-belt reminder rating and which positions it monitors.
Review LATCH ease-of-use separately, and test real car seats, boosters, and adult belt fit.
Make sure rear head restraints adjust high enough for the adults who will ride there.
Keep every passenger buckled on every trip, including short trips and rideshares.

Questions people ask

Which cars are safest for back-seat passengers in 2026?

What does the IIHS updated moderate overlap test measure?

Which cars have the worst rear-seat protection?

See the worst rear seats table.

Is the back seat still the safest place for children?

Does a Top Safety Pick guarantee a good back seat?

See the 2026 Top Safety Pick list.

Safest Cars for Back-Seat Passengers in 2026