2021 Genesis GV80 scores top safety marks with IIHS
The luxury SUV earned a Top Safety Pick Plus, the highest award a vehicle can earn.
For 2020, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety made its criteria to earn the coveted Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick Plus awards far more challenging. This year, we're starting to see more automakers step up and meet the standard, and the 2021 Genesis GV80 is the latest to meet the IIHS' more stringent requirements.
The insurance industry-funded group on Thursday announced Genesis ' new luxury SUV nabbed a Top Safety Pick Plus. To earn the top honors, a vehicle must score Good ratings in all six crashworthiness tests, including the tough driver- and passenger-side small overlap test. In addition to the basic crash tests, the vehicle must also make crash avoidance technology optional, and the gear has to earn either an Advanced or Superior rating -- the GV80 earned the latter title.
The biggest challenge with the year-old award standards is headlights. A vehicle can't simply offer Good- or Acceptable-rated headlights on a single trim. Instead, a car must provide headlights that score either rating across the board. For the GV80, its standard LED headlights earned an Acceptable rating, giving it the final check mark for the safety award.
Roadshow staff were seriously impressed with the GV80 in our first in-depth reviews of both the 2.5T and 3.5T trims. Now buyers can see its South Korean swagger also comes bundled with loads of baked-in safety tech.
