The Kia EV6 has received the highest safety rating, establishing its product competitiveness.
Kia announced that the EV6 earned the highest rating of ‘Top Safety Pick Plus’ in a crash test released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) on June 6 (local time).
The EV6 is built on Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated electric vehicle platform, E-GMP, and it is significant that it demonstrated top safety in the world’s most rigorous new car safety evaluations.
IIHS, established in 1959, is a non-profit organization that comprehensively evaluates and publishes results on vehicle crash safety and crash prevention performance for vehicles released in the U.S. market each year.
Vehicles that exhibit top safety performance receive a TSP+ rating, while those with acceptable performance receive a TSP rating.
To obtain a TSP+ rating, a vehicle must achieve the highest rating of ‘Good’ in all six crash safety test categories: driver-side small overlap, passenger-side small overlap, front crash, side crash, roof strength, and head restraint.
Additionally, it must score ‘Advanced’ or higher in front crash prevention system tests (vehicle-to-vehicle / vehicle-to-pedestrian) and ‘Acceptable’ or higher in headlight assessments across all trims.
The EV6 received the highest ratings in all six crash safety categories, and its front crash prevention system was evaluated as effective in preventing accidents by detecting both vehicle-to-vehicle crashes at speeds of up to 40 km/h and pedestrians, earning the top rating of ‘Superior.’
In the headlight evaluations, the EV6 also received ‘Good’ ratings across all trims, showcasing its high level of safety.
The excellent evaluation of the EV6 is attributed to its robust body structure, enhanced with expanded use of ultra-high-strength steel, reinforcing safety.
It is designed to ensure passenger safety in potential accident situations, applying a total of eight airbags, including a front center side airbag that can reduce head injuries between occupants in side collisions.
Moreover, the EV6 is equipped with various advanced driving safety assistance features, including forward collision avoidance assist, lane departure warning assist, intelligent speed limit assist, driver attention alert, high beam assist, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist, and more.
In May, the EV6 also demonstrated high safety performance by earning a maximum five-star rating in the Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme), Europe’s new car safety assessment program.
A Kia representative stated, “We are honored that the EV6 received the highest rating in the world’s most rigorous vehicle safety evaluation, and we will continue to strive to provide a high level of safety for both drivers and pedestrians.”
This evaluation result further proves the excellence of Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated electric vehicle platform, E-GMP.
Following the IIHS tests, where the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Genesis GV60 also achieved the highest ratings, the EV6 has now recorded TSP+, marking the third vehicle in the E-GMP lineup to earn the top safety rating from the IIHS.
Additionally, the EV6 has garnered praise from global media and evaluation agencies, winning the ‘2022 European Car of the Year,’ becoming the first-ever Korean brand to achieve this accolade.
By Jang Jin daedusj@autodiary.kr