It's getting more difficult to earn a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance 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 Safety Pick compared to 130 vehicles in 2013.

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

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

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

For 2014, a good or acceptable small overlap performance is required for Top Safety Pick, while vehicles earning the Top Safety Pick+ designation must also provide front crash prevention systems intended to help drivers avoid rear-ending a stopped or slower-moving vehicle in front of them. IIHS says front crash prevention systems include both warning systems and automatic braking.

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

Click “next” to see which vehicles earned Top Safety Pick+ and Top 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

Honda Civic 4-door

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Basic

Mazda 3 (built after October 2013)

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (two bars)

Toyota Prius (built after November 2013)

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (two bars)

Midsize Moderately Priced Cars

Ford Fusion

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Basic

Honda Accord 2-door

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Basic

Honda Accord 4-Door

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Basic

Midsize Moderately Priced Cars (Continued)

Mazda 6

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (two bars)

Subaru Legacy

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (six bars)

Subaru Outback

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (six bars)

Midsize Luxury/Near-Luxury Cars

Infiniti Q50

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (six bars)

Lincoln MKZ

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Basic

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 (three bars)

Volvo S80

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (five bars)

Small SUVs

Mazda CX-5 (built after October 2013)

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (two bars)

Mitsubishi Outlander

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (three bars)

Subaru Forester

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (six bars)

Midsize Luxury SUVs

Acura MDX

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (three bars

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

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (five bars)

Volvo XC60

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Superior (five bars)

Midsize SUV

Toyota Highlander

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Front Crash Prevention—Advanced (three bars)

Minivan

Honda Odyssey

Small Overlap Test—Good

Front Crash Prevention—Basic

TOP SAFETY PICK

Minicar

Chevrolet Spark

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Small Cars

Dodge Dart

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Ford Focus

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Honda Civic 2-door

Small Overlap Test—Good

Hyundai Elantra

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Scion tC

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Subaru Impreza

Small Overlap Test—Good

Subaru XV Crosstrek

Small Overlap Test—Good

Midsize Moderately Priced Cars

Chrysler 200 4 door

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Dodge Avenger

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Kia Optima

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Nissan Altima

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Toyota Camry (built after December 2013)

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Volkswagen Passat

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Midsize Luxury/Near-Luxury Car

Acura TL

Small Overlap Test—Good

Small SUV

Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Small Overlap Test—Acceptable

Midsize Luxury SUV

Volvo XC90

Small Overlap Test—Good

Special Reports /

Fewer Vehicles Named Top Safety Picks as IIHS Toughens Standards

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