Kia K4 and EV9 earn 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating

The 2026 Kia K4 and 2026 Kia EV9 have each received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick+ designation, bringing Kia’s total of 2026 Top Safety Pick+ models to four. The K4 and EV9 join the 2026 Kia Sorento, built after September 2025, and the 2026 Kia Sportage, built after May 2025, in the top award tier. The awards apply to US models only.

The K4, which carries a starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price of US$22,290, is among the most affordable Top Safety Pick+ recipients in the current IIHS cycle. Standard driver assistance systems include lane keeping assist and forward collision avoidance with pedestrian, cyclist and junction-turn detection. The EV9 three-row electric SUV features standard Highway Driving Assist 2, which maintains following distance and lane centring on compatible roads.

For 2026, IIHS tightened its criteria to require stronger rear-seat protection in moderate overlap front crashes and improved performance in pedestrian crash prevention and higher-speed vehicle-to-vehicle crash avoidance evaluations.

“Safety isn’t a single feature. It’s a core focus across our vehicles,” said SeungKyu Yoon, President and Chief Executive of Kia America. “Expanding our IIHS recognition across more models reflects how we’re prioritising protection as the agency’s standards in safety continue to evolve.”

Source: Kia