How to Find IIHS Safety Ratings for a Specific Vehicle

To find IIHS safety ratings for a specific vehicle, use the "Find vehicle ratings by make and model" search tool on the iihs.org homepage. Enter the make and model, and you can also specify a model year. The results show that vehicle's crash test and safety rating information. If you want to see which vehicles have earned IIHS awards, browse the "Award winners" section instead.

Step-by-step: Look Up a Vehicle Rating

1. Go to iihs.org. The rating search sits in the main "Passenger vehicle ratings" area of the homepage.
2. Type the make and model into the "Find vehicle ratings by make and model" field. Suggestions appear as you type, so you can select the exact vehicle rather than guessing at spelling.
3. Add a model year if needed. The search lets you specify a year, which matters because ratings are assigned per model year and can change after a redesign.
4. Open the result to see the crash test and safety rating details for that vehicle.

What to expect: The tool is a lookup, not a comparison engine. You get the rating record for the vehicle you searched, so checking several candidates means repeating the search for each one.

Check Award Winners First If You're Shortlisting

If you haven't picked a vehicle yet, the "Award winners" entry on the homepage is a faster starting point than searching model by model. It lists vehicles that have earned IIHS awards, which you can then cross-check against your shortlist. IIHS updates this list as new results come in — for example, the site announced that the Nissan Kicks joined the ranks of award winners.

Ratings Cover Passenger Vehicles; Commercial Vehicles Have a Separate Entry

The make-and-model search is built for passenger vehicles. Commercial vehicles have their own section on the site, which is the right place to start if you're evaluating a cargo van or heavy-duty truck rather than a passenger car. This distinction is worth knowing because commercial vehicle results are reported separately — the site notes, for instance, that cargo vans and heavy-duty pickups have lagged passenger vehicles in front crash prevention tests.

Beyond Ratings: Context That Helps You Interpret Them

A rating tells you how a vehicle performed in specific tests. The site's research sections explain what those tests measure and where the limits are — for example, material on advanced driver assistance covers front crash prevention, partial automation, and the limitations of crash prevention technologies. Reading that context helps you avoid treating a single rating as a complete picture of a vehicle's safety.

Two other resources may be useful depending on your situation:

• Shopping for safety: a guide for new and used vehicle buyers — general guidance on using safety information during a purchase.
• This year's safest vehicles for teens — a list produced with Consumer Reports aimed at families choosing a vehicle for a young driver.

Quick Reference

One practical note: because ratings are tied to model year, always confirm the year in your search matches the vehicle you're actually considering — a rating for one year doesn't automatically carry over to another.