These SUVs have the best rear seat safety results

The 2025 BMW X5, 2024 Lexus NX, and 2024 Volvo XC90 all qualify for an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award thanks to good performance in the insurance industry-funded nonprofit’s updated moderate-overlap front crash test, which emphasizes rear seat safety.

Top Safety Pick+ awardees need a “Good” or “Acceptable” rating in this test, which was introduced in 2022 and adds a dummy seated in the second row behind the driver. The change—which isn’t required for the lower Top Safety Pick award—cut out most small crossovers, as well as larger three-row SUVs.

The X5 and XC90 earned the highest “Good” rating in the updated test, while the NX was rated “Acceptable.” In the X5, measurements taken from the second-row dummy showed no elevated risk of injury, the IIHS said in a press release, adding that while rear seat belts controlled the motion of the dummy fairly well, the dummy’s head came closer than desired to the front seat back.

Similar measurements taken from the second-row dummy in the XC90 showed slightly elevated risk of injury to chest and the head or neck. The lower-rated NX performed well in terms of injury metrics, the IIHS said, but the dummy’s lap belt moved from the ideal position on the pelvis up to the abdomen, which increases the risk of injuries in that area.

Other requirements for a Top Safety Pick+ award include a “Good” rating in the small-overlap front test and updated side impact tests, “Good” or “Acceptable” ratings in the pedestrian front crash prevention test, and “Good” or “Acceptable” headlights across all trim levels. All three luxury SUVs met those criteria as well.

The X5’s standard front crash prevention tech earned a “Good” rating, while its headlights earned an “Acceptable” rating. The XC90 earned “Acceptable” ratings in both categories. The NX received a “Good” rating for its standard front crash prevention tech, and three trim levels are available with headlights rated “Good.”