Hyundai's 2022 IONIQ 5 Electric SUV Awarded an IIHS 'Top Safety Plus' Rating

author: FutureCar Staff    

The 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5 electric SUV.

The futuristic-looking IONIQ 5 electric SUV from Hyundai Motor Co has received an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) 2022 Top Safety Pick Plus (TSP+) designation. 

The IIHS tests evaluate two important aspects of safety, including crashworthiness, which is how well a vehicle protects its occupants in a crash. The second is crash avoidance and mitigation, which are advanced driver assist system (ADAS) features such as automatic emergency braking (AEB) that can avoid a crash or lessen its severity.

Safety is important for many car buyers, so the industry recognition by the IIHS could help to boost sales of the electric IONIQ 5. The IIHS award for the 2022 models produced after Dec 2021 equipped with optional Front Crash Prevention and specific headlights.

Both TSP and TSP+ awards require the vehicles to score a "Good" rating in all six IIHS crashworthiness tests. These include driver- and passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints. 

In addition, IIHS TSP award winning vehicles must be available with front crash prevention technology that earns a "Superior" or "Advanced" rating in both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations. 

TSP  winners must also be available with "Good" or "Acceptable" headlights. The "plus" designation is given to models that have "Good" or "Acceptable" headlights across all trim levels and packages.

The IONIQ 5 is equipped with "Hyundai SmartSense" ADAS, which significantly boosts safety. The electric SUV was the first Hyundai model to offer Highway Driving Assist 2 (HDA 2). The technology includes sensors, cameras, alerts and alarms, plus software that controls it.

HDA 2 is similar to Tesla's Autopilot and GM's Super Cruise. It maintains a set distance and speed from the vehicle ahead when traveling on highways. It can also steer the vehicle and helps keep it in the center of a lane, even around curves. The system will automatically perform lane changes in certain conditions when the driver activates the turn signal. 

Hyundai SmartSense features Smart Cruise Control with machine learning, Lane Keeping Assist and Driver Attention Warning. Other optional driving assistance systems include Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist, Intelligent Speed Limit Assist, Driver Attention Warning, High Beam Assist.

Hyundai now has a total of nine 2022 TSP and TSP+ vehicles in its current model lineup. Hyundai's luxury brand Genesis has five TSP/TSP+ vehicles, bringing the company's total to 14 IIHS-rated vehicles, which is among the highest in the industry.

"As the industry navigates to an all-electric future, we are extremely proud to have been awarded an IIHS TSP+ for our all-new IONIQ 5, the first of three Hyundai EV's to be built on our Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP)," said Brian Latouf chief safety officer, Hyundai Motor North America. "Safety is foundational at Hyundai and earning the IIHS TSP+ award demonstrates our "Safety First" commitment to our customers."

Hyundai's E-GMP offers more interior space for passengers or luggage since the electric motors and batteries take up less space. The platform is engineered to offer improved cornering performance and stability at higher speeds, which further improves safety. This is primarily due to the platform's low center of gravity and additional weight of the battery pack.

The IIHS launched its more stringent TSP+ category in 2013. The awards identify the best vehicles for safety within size categories during a given year. 

However, larger and heavier vehicles, such as full-size SUVs and pickups, generally afford more protection than smaller vehicles. So the IIHS cautions that a small car that qualifies for an TSP award might not protect its occupants as well as a large vehicle that doesn't earn the award.

With its new IONIQ sub brand, Hyundai is aiming to be one of the world's biggest producers of EVs and aims to sell 1 million a year by 2025. The IONIQ 5 is the beginning of the automaker's plan to introduce 23 new electric models by 2025. 

The IONIQ 5 officially launched in the U.S. in May 2021.

FutureCar Staff