🔻 Watch the video below.
🔻
The safest trucks for 2026: work hard, stay safe
Ford F-150, Ram 1500, and Chevrolet Silverado don’t qualify.
By Alex Leanse, Writer | Photography by MotorTrend Staff | April 09, 2026
Many pickup trucks are large, heavy, and robustly engineered, providing some built-in safety benefit. That doesn’t necessarily mean every truck is safe. A select few are the best pickup trucks for crash avoidance and protection in testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The IIHS has updated its testing methods, and only two trucks meet the latest standards to earn the 2026 Top Safety Pick+ designation, the best possible score. However, two other new trucks still qualify for the second-best Top Safety Pick award based on 2025 testing protocols. We list those here, along with the relevant scores on the NHTSA’s five-star scale.
2026 Toyota Tundra TRD PRo 1
2026 Toyota Tundra
In terms of truck capabilities, the Toyota Tundra is something of an also-ran, trailing its rivals in driving refinement, all-terrain potential, and towing and hauling ability. However, none of its main full-size truck rivals offer the same safety reassurance. The Tundra still has merits, like its spacious cabin, strong twin-turbo V-6 with available hybrid assistance, reconfigurable gauge display, and burly exterior design.
In Crew Cab configuration, the Toyota Tundra earns the IIHS Top Safety Pick designation and a five-star overall safety score. The smaller Extended Cab gets the top “Good” score in various crashworthiness tests but is not rated by the NHTSA. All versions are equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 driver assist and active safety features, which include front automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, road sign recognition, and automatic high-beams. On higher-end Tundra models, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert with trailer coverage are also included.
Read Our Experts’ Full Toyota Tundra Review
006 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz XRT
2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz
Some say it’s not a “real” pickup, but the unibody-based Hyundai Santa Cruz might be the right truck for certain drivers. Combining a crossover’s driving manners with bed utility benefits makes the Santa Cruz a nice companion for daily chores, weekend getaways, and home improvement projects. In this category of compact trucks, the Ford Maverick is often favored, but it does not earn safety scores as high as the Santa Cruz’s.
The 2026 Santa Cruz receives the IIHS 2025 Top Safety Pick award and a five-star overall NHTSA designation. Its standard safety and assist features include front automatic emergency braking, rear and side cross-traffic alert, lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and automatic high-beams.
Read Our Experts’ Full Hyundai Santa Cruz Review
016 2024 Tesla Cyberbeast
2026 Tesla Cybertruck
With its sharp-edged stainless-steel body, the Tesla Cybertruck looks like it could cause cuts if you’re not careful. However, occupants are very safe inside, as the 2026 Cybertruck earns Top Safety Pick+ and a five-star overall score. This pickup is unconventional but offers clever storage, a comfortable ride, and excellent handling thanks in part to its all-wheel steering system.
Like every Tesla, the Cybertruck is equipped with many driver assist and active safety features, such as front automatic emergency braking, obstacle-aware acceleration, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and a rain-sensing windshield wiper (singular). Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology is available for an extra cost.
Read Our Experts’ Full Tesla Cybertruck Review
021 2025 Rivian R1T Dual
2026 Rivian R1T
Combining luxurious refinement, off-road capability, and sporty performance, the Rivian R1T is an electric truck that will delight any driver. What’s more, it functions well as a pickup, too, providing lifestyle-ready utility, clever storage, and solid towing capability. Range and charging are also pretty good, regardless of which of its several powertrains is selected.
The 2026 R1T earns the Top Safety Pick award using the IIHS’ 2025 criteria. Automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high-beams are among its standard active safety and driver assist features. Rivian continues to develop its self-driving technology, leveraging the R1T’s many cameras, sensors, and redundant controls to ensure safety.
Read Our Experts’ Full Rivian R1T Review
Stay ahead of the curve.
Get the newest car reviews, hottest auto news, and expert analysis of the latest trends delivered straight to your inbox!
Ready for the ride? Enter your email
By signing up, I agree to the Terms of Use (including the dispute resolution procedures) and have reviewed the Privacy Notice.
Alex Leanse
Alex’s earliest memory is of a teal 1993 Ford Aspire, the car that sparked his automotive obsession. He’s never driven that tiny hatchback—at six feet, 10 inches tall, he likely wouldn’t fit—but has assessed hundreds of other vehicles, sharing his insights on MotorTrend as a writer and video host.
Read More
Share
You May Also Like
