  For those who want to play it safe on the road, the 2026 Kia Sorento is a perfect option. Drivers looking for maximum peace of mind should consider the 2026 Kia Sorento. This SUV recently achieved the prestigious 2025 TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). As the highest honor in the automotive industry, this award highlights the Sorento's exceptional engineering and crash protection. It joins several other models in the Kia lineup that have secured this top-tier safety rating.
Criteria for the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Award
To qualify for the IIHS's most rigorous award, vehicles must excel in several demanding evaluations. This includes achieving "Good" scores in updated side-impact, small overlap front, and updated moderate overlap front tests. Additionally, the vehicle's pedestrian front crash prevention systems must be rated "Good" or "Acceptable." The IIHS also evaluates external lighting; for a model to earn the "Plus" designation, its headlights must receive an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating across every trim level.
Fortunately for Kia, the Sorento met the safety requirements mandated by the IIHS to receive a Top Safety Pick+ award.
The 2026 Sorento successfully navigated these challenges to secure its place as a safety leader. Key to this success is the SUV's standard forward collision avoidance system, which is capable of detecting pedestrians, cyclists, and oncoming traffic during left-hand turns at intersections. By proactively helping drivers avoid accidents in complex scenarios, the Sorento earned "Good" ratings for its ability to minimize impact risks. These high marks were vital in securing the IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ title.
Along with the safety features above, the Kia Sorento also comes with a long list of standard safety technology that includes adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane centering assist, blind-spot warning, rear automatic braking, and rear cross-traffic alert.
Beyond its structural integrity, the Sorento is packed with standard driver-assist technologies. This suite includes automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane centering assist, and forward collision warning. Drivers also benefit from rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, and rear automatic braking. For those seeking even more protection, higher trim levels offer advanced tools like a blind-spot view monitor and a 360-degree camera system to help prevent collisions from every angle.
Kia's Safest Vehicles
The 2026 Sorento isn't the only Kia model to be recognized for its safety excellence. Several other vehicles in the brand's current lineup have also earned the 2025 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award. These standout models include the 2025 Telluride, the 2025 EV9, and the 2026 Sportage.
Contact us at Joe Myers Kia today for more details.