The 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric received a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)—the organization's highest safety award.

To get on the Top Safety Pick+ honor roll, the Ioniq 5 received top "Good" scores in all IIHS crash tests, as well as the top "Superior" rating for front-crash prevention tech. The base SE trim level's headlights only earned an "Acceptable" rating (other trim levels received higher ratings), and the LATCH child-seat anchors were only rated "Acceptable" as well, but that was enough for the Ioniq 5 to earn the top award.

The Top Safety Pick+ rating only applies to vehicles built after December 2021, when Hyundai made changes to the front seats that could affect head restraint evaluation, the IIHS noted in a press release. That wasn't every far into the production run for the United States market, however. It's also worth noting that the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) hasn't rated the Ioniq 5 yet.

2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5

2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5

Still, we can at least add some good safety ratings to our positive initial impressions of Hyundai's first dedicated EV. In a first drive, we found the Ioniq 5 to be charming in almost every respect.

It's also good news, perhaps, for the Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60 that have followed, both built on the same E-GMP platform. The EV6 is closely related to the Ioniq 5, but far from identical, and it hasn't yet been rated. Many Americans might find it's easier to buy, though.

Hyundai has a great record in the safety of its electrified vehicles. Even the Nexo hydrogen fuel cell vehicle earned the Top Safety Pick+ rating for 2022, as it did in its first model year.