The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is encouraging automakers to make advanced seat belt technology and other safety innovations the norm in the back seat. And IIHS put that to the test, requiring the better protection for second-row occupants for its 2025 Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards.

As a result, only 48 models qualified in March for this year’s awards, compared to 71 in the spring of last year. Of this year’s winners, 36 earn Top Safety Pick+ and 12 earn Top Safety Pick. Subsequently, six additional cars have met the tougher requirements for the highest award.

The Institute’s updated moderate overlap front test adds a second dummy seated behind the driver and emphasizes back seat safety. This year, vehicles must earn an acceptable rating in the updated test to qualify for Top Safety Pick, while a good rating is required for the “plus.” Award. The original test has been phased out completely.

Models ranging from small cars to large pickups and from economy cars to luxury vehicles occupy the winner’s circle, and most major players in the U.S. market are represented. SUVs, which make up a large percentage of new models for sale, account for most of the awards. No minicars, large cars, minivans or small pickups are winners.

To excel in the original test, automakers had strengthened vehicle structures, improved airbags and developed advanced seat belts capable of absorbing crash forces. But many of those advancements were only applied in the front seat.

The updated test is intended to push manufacturers to address that gap. Like its predecessor, it simulates a head-on collision in which the test vehicle strikes a vehicle of equal size and weight at 40 mph with 40% of their front widths overlapping. The difference is that the new test includes an additional dummy representing a small woman or 12-year-old child positioned in the second row behind the driver and uses new metrics that focus on the injuries most frequently seen in rear-seat occupants.

“There’s still progress to be made, but these results show that manufacturers are working hard to make their vehicles as safe for back seat passengers as they are for those up front,” said David Harkey, President of the IIHS. “Consumers looking for a new vehicle offering the highest level of protection for their families should put these award winners at the top of their list.”

For a list of the vehicles earning the Top Safety Pick+ and the Top Safety Pick awards, go to iihs.org and click on the “Vehicle Ratings” tab.