2026 Kia K4 and EV9 Earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Award
The 2026 Kia K4 and EV9 have each earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s highest safety rating, the 2026 TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation.
4
$22,290
What Happened
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded its highest safety rating, the 2026 TOP SAFETY PICK+ (TSP+), to the 2026 Kia K4 and the 2026 Kia EV9 electric three-row SUV. With these additions, Kia now has four models earning the 2026 TSP+ rating, including the previously recognized 2026 Kia Sorento (built after Sept. 2025) and Sportage (built after May 2025). The awards apply to U.S. models only.
- 2026 Kia K4
- 2026 Kia EV9
- 2026 Sorento (built after September 2025)
- 2026 Sportage (built after May 2025)
“Safety isn’t a single feature. It’s a core focus across our vehicles. Expanding our IIHS recognition across more models reflects how we’re prioritizing protection as the agency’s standards in safety continue to evolve.”
For 2026, IIHS strengthened its testing criteria to emphasize rear-seat passenger protection and enhanced crash avoidance performance. The updated protocols include more rigorous requirements for rear passenger safety in moderate overlap front crashes, as well as improved performance standards for pedestrian crash prevention and higher-speed vehicle-to-vehicle crash avoidance systems.
Why this matters
Kia now has four models with this top safety rating, reflecting the company's focus on safety as IIHS raises its standards for rear-seat protection and crash avoidance.
Terms in This Story
- IIHS
- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; an independent organization that rates vehicle safety.
- TOP SAFETY PICK+ (TSP+)
- The highest safety rating awarded by IIHS.
- ADAS
- Advanced Driver Assistance Systems; features that assist with driving tasks to improve safety.
- LKA
- Lane Keeping Assist; a system that helps keep the vehicle centered in its lane.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.