For the longest time in automotive history, bigger vehicles like SUVs and pickup trucks were largely considered unsafe. However, over the past decades, that is no longer the case, as safety tech in vehicles has come a very long way. In fact, today, a vehicle could have the best design, features, and performance possible, but if its safety figures are dodgy, it is guaranteed to fail on the market. Customers want nothing but the best for themselves and their families, and safety always comes first. With pickups always being an integral part of the American automotive market, manufacturers today have been building some of the safest trucks ever.
Be it full-size, midsize, or compact trucks, every pickup worth its salt today has to prove itself as a safe vehicle first and foremost. In that aspect, many trucks today are quite well-rated by the NHTSA and the IIHS, proving to be the safest options in the market. Without further ado, here are the 10 safest pickup trucks that you could bring home today.
10 2022 Ford F-150
The best-selling pickup truck in America received a full redesign in 2021, entering its 14th generation. Ford made some very significant leaps in their most popular truck's safety, and the fruit of their efforts came when the IIHS gave the Crew Cab version of the 2022 Ford F-150 a Top Safety Pick award.
The only caveat here is that the XL trim didn't get that award, seeing as it didn't have the same headlights as the upper trims, which illuminated a lot better. Nevertheless, a Top Safety Pick Award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety lends to some great safety credentials.
9 2022 Toyota Tundra
Toyota has been redesigning its entire lineup, and it began with the 2022 Tundra. The famed Japanese truck received a top-to-bottom overhaul, and now also serves as the base for the new Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro.
All of its new bells and whistles allowed Toyota to fit into the 2022 Tundra a lot of tech, including safety and driver assistance tech as well. This led to the IIHS announcing the 2022 Tundra as a Top Safety Pick+, which is the highest designation possible from the organization.
8 2022 Ram 1500
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The Ram 1500's fifth generation is a force to be reckoned with. Not only is it the king of the hill in terms of power, its Crew Cab variation has also managed to earn a 2022 Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
When it comes to the Ram 1500's crashworthiness, all cab configurations of the truck received Good ratings from the IIHS across the board, which is the highest score from the organization. In fact, 2022 was the third straight model year when the Ram 1500 received the Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS.
7 2022 GMC Sierra 1500
Every GMC Sierra 1500 pickup truck comes loaded with the standard GMC Pro Safety suite, which includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. Other safety features include lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and automatic high beams.
While the non-limited Sierra 1500 got five stars for side impact testing and four in rollover resistance in every single cab variety, the NHTSA is rated it an overall four-out-of-five stars. However, the Sierra 1500 was only built upon its 2021 model year's four-out-of-five safety rating, so occupants can rest assured about their safety.
6 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz
Earning the Top Safety Pick Award from the IIHS is no small deal, and Hyundai's newest truck on the block achieved exactly that. Receiving the best 'Good' grading across every single crash test, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is a compact truck that has a lot to love.
The IIHS' overall evaluation of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz was superior, which is all one needs to know before banking on the safety of this pickup truck. Equipped with Hyundai's SmartSense safety suite, the Santa Cruz features many standard safety and driver-assist features that are sure to impress you while also keeping you safe.
5 2022 Honda Ridgeline
Honda's Ridgeline truck might not boast the best looks in the market, but it sure has a 5-star safety rating to brag about. With five-star ratings across the board and four stars in its rollover resistance test, the 2022 Honda Ridgeline achieved a 5-star safety rating from the NHTSA.
Honda has equipped the Ridgeline truck with plenty of standard safety features, such as adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping, blind-spot, and rear cross-traffic monitors. This makes the truck from the Japanese marque a great truck to invest in.
4 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
We're now into four-star-safety-rating territory in our pickup list, and the 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 earns one of the top spots here. With a four-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, the 2022 Silverado might not be as safe as the Ford F-150, but only by a small margin.
The 2022 Silverado 1500 has plenty of safety features that come standard, including front pedestrian braking, forward-collision alert, lane change alert, and automatic high beams. In fact, this year, the truck also gets GM's SuperCruise technology, which allows autonomous driving on compatible roads.
3 2022 Nissan Titan
Again, the Nissan Titan truck is one of the pickups on this list that the NHTSA hasn't rated yet, but the IIHS has put them through their tests. In fact, when it comes to the small front overlap test results by the IIHS, the 2022 Nissan Titan actually gets a better grade of 'Acceptable' over the Sierra 1500 or the Silverado's 'Marginal' score.
Similarly, when it comes to the front crash test and the results for the front passenger, the Nissan Titan receives the same 'Acceptable' rating, ranking higher than the GM trucks' 'Marginal' ratings.
2 2022 Toyota Tacoma
The Toyota Tacoma, which is the brand's mid-size truck and the ruler of its segment, is due for a complete overhaul like the rest of its siblings very soon. Meanwhile, the current model year Tacoma is no slouch, and while it might not be up to the best standards for tech and features, it barely skimps on safety.
In the IIHS' crash tests, the Toyota Tacoma in its Access Cab configuration received the highest 'Good' ratings across the board, sweeping the test with its results. The NHTSA rated the Tacoma four-out-of-five stars for safety, making it a great work truck that nails almost everything. We're certain that the 2024 Tacoma, in its all-new avatar, will look to take its safety ratings even higher, much like the Tundra.
1 2022 Chevy Colorado
With four-out-of-five stars from the NHTSA in terms of safety, the 2022 Chevrolet Colorado is an impressive truck. It also received five stars in the side crash test, and four in the frontal crash test.
The truck features a host of standard safety features, including the Teen Driver safety feature, which lets parents set limits on the speed and audio volume for secondary drivers (their kids), along with the ability to monitor their driving performance.