It's getting more difficult to earn a Top Safety Pick from theInsurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The IIHS raised the bar for its 2014 rating, and as a result,just 39 vehicles earned either a Top Safety Pick+ or Top SafetyPick compared to 130 vehicles in 2013.

The main difference, says IIHS President Adrian Lund in astatement, is that the “small overlap front crash is now part ofour basic battery of tests, and good or acceptable performanceshould be part of every vehicle's safety credentials.”

In the small overlap test—introduced in 2012 and intendedto replicate what happens when the front corner of a car collideswith another vehicle or a stationary object such as a tree—25percent of a car's front end on the driver side strikes afive-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph.

Last year, for the 2013 ratings, IIHS says, good or acceptablesmall overlap performance was required only for Top Safety Pick+;vehicles that had good ratings in other tests could still earn TopSafety Pick. In fact, says IIHS, Top Safety Pick+ was introducedlast year “to reward automakers that achieved good or acceptableperformance in the just-introduced small overlap test….”

For 2014, a good or acceptable small overlap performance isrequired for Top Safety Pick, while vehicles earning the Top SafetyPick+ designation must also provide front crash prevention systemsintended to help drivers avoid rear-ending a stopped orslower-moving vehicle in front of them. IIHS says front crashprevention systems include both warning systems and automaticbraking.

Interestingly, with front crash prevention systems spreading soquickly through vehicle fleets, the number of Top Safety Pick+winners for 2014 (22) outnumbers the list of Top Safety Pickwinners (17).

Click “next” to see which vehicles earned Top Safety Pick+ andTop Safety Pick designations.

TOP SAFETY PICK+

(Front crash prevention systems are rated by 1-6 bars,where 1=basic, 2-4=advanced and 5-6=superior)

Small Cars

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Honda Civic 4-door

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Basic

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Mazda 3 (built after October 2013)

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (two bars)

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Toyota Prius (built after November 2013)

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (two bars)

Midsize Moderately Priced Cars

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Ford Fusion

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Basic

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Honda Accord 2-door

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Basic

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Honda Accord 4-Door

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Basic

Midsize Moderately Priced Cars (Continued)

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Mazda 6

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (two bars)

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Subaru Legacy

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (six bars)

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Subaru Outback

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (six bars)

Midsize Luxury/Near-Luxury Cars

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Infiniti Q50

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (six bars)

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Lincoln MKZ

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Basic

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Volvo S60

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (five bars)

Large Luxury Cars

Acura RLX

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (threebars)

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Volvo S80

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (five bars)

Small SUVs

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Mazda CX-5 (built after October 2013)

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (two bars)

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Mitsubishi Outlander

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (threebars)

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Subaru Forester

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (six bars)

Midsize Luxury SUVs

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Acura MDX

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (three bars

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Mercedes-Benz M-Class (built after August 2013)

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (five bars)

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Volvo XC60

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (five bars)

Midsize SUV

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Toyota Highlander

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (threebars)

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Minivan

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Honda Odyssey

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Basic

TOP SAFETY PICK

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Minicar

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Chevrolet Spark

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

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Small Cars

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Dodge Dart

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

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Ford Focus

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

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Honda Civic 2-door

Small Overlap Test—Good

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Hyundai Elantra

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

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Scion tC

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

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Subaru Impreza

Small Overlap Test—Good

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Subaru XV Crosstrek

Small Overlap Test—Good

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Midsize Moderately Priced Cars

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Chrysler 200 4 door

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

|

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Dodge Avenger

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

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Kia Optima

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

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Nissan Altima

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

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Toyota Camry (built after December 2013)

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

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Volkswagen Passat

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

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Midsize Luxury/Near-Luxury Car

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Acura TL

Small Overlap Test—Good

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Small SUV

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Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

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Midsize Luxury SUV

Volvo XC90

Small Overlap Test—Good