2026 KIA K4 AND EV9 EARN 2026 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ AWARDS

The 2026 Kia K4 and 2026 Kia EV9 electric three-row SUV have each earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest safety rating, the 2026 TOP SAFETY PICK+ (TSP+) designation. With these latest recognitions, Kia now has four models[i] with the 2026 TSP+ rating, joining the previously recognized 2026 Kia Sorento (built after Sept. 2025) and Sportage (built after May 2025). Awards apply to U.S. models only.    

2026 Kia K4
2026 EV9
2026 Sorento (models built after September 2025)
2026 Sportage (models built after May 2025)

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

For 2026, IIHS has further strengthened its testing criteria to emphasize rear-seat passenger protection and enhanced crash avoidance performance. The updated testing protocols include more rigorous requirements for rear passenger safety in moderate overlap front crashes, as well as improved performance standards for pedestrian crash prevention and higher-speed vehicle-to-vehicle crash avoidance systems.

With a starting MSRP[1] of $22,290, the Kia K4 combines advanced safety features with strong value, offering a compelling entry point into Kia’s lineup. Standard advanced driver assistance systems[ii] include Lane Keeping Assist[iii] (LKA) and Forward Collision Avoidance[iv] (FCA), which is designed to help detect and prevent collisions from occurring in certain circumstances and detect vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists in front of the vehicle while driving (FCA-CPC), as well as oncoming vehicles while turning left at an intersection (FCA-JT).

The award-winning EV9 three-row all-electric SUV continues to impress with its host of modern amenities and advanced driver assistance systems, including standard Highway Driving Assist 2[v] (HDA-2), which can help maintain a predetermined distance from other vehicles detected ahead and can keep the car centered within detected lane markers on certain highways.