NHTSA Identified Vehicles Meeting Pedestrian Safety Rules
Federal regulators have spotlighted 102 vehicle models that meet new standards for protecting pedestrians during impacts.
Updated on Sept. 21, 2026 in Car Types
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a list of 102 vehicles that meet its updated pedestrian safety benchmarks for the 2027 model year. This assessment program evaluates how effectively the front of a vehicle protects a pedestrian's head and legs during a collision.
Why it matters
The NHTSA integrated these pedestrian protection standards into its New Car Assessment Program to mandate higher safety levels for vulnerable road users. Meeting these criteria requires vehicles to score at least 60 percent on a point-based protection scale.
To meet the federal criteria, vehicles must score at least 21.6 points out of a maximum possible 36 points in the assessment. Among the qualifying entries, Toyota has 26 models and Lexus has 17, while Audi and Volkswagen currently have no qualifying models.
The players
NHTSA
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a U.S. federal government agency responsible for writing and enforcing vehicle safety standards.
Toyota
Toyota is a global automotive manufacturer that currently leads the industry in the number of vehicles meeting the new federal safety criteria.
Lexus
Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of Toyota that accounts for a significant share of the models meeting the new safety benchmarks.
Audi
Audi is a German luxury automotive brand that currently has no vehicles on the qualifying list for these new standards.
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a major international automotive group that currently lacks qualifying vehicle models under the new safety assessment.
The details
Regulators evaluate the front architecture of a vehicle to ensure it minimizes injury to a pedestrian's head, upper legs, and lower legs during an impact. A model is counted as meeting the performance standard if at least one available trim configuration achieves the required point threshold.
Timeline
The new pedestrian protection assessment standards take effect for the 2027 model year.
Roadmap
This integration of pedestrian safety metrics into the New Car Assessment Program reflects a broader transition toward mandating active and passive safety features across the entire automotive sector. Manufacturers like Toyota are positioning their lineups to meet these evolving federal expectations ahead of competitors who have yet to certify their current designs.
For the average car buyer, these standards provide a clearer indicator of which models prioritize pedestrian safety during vehicle selection. Drivers should note that because safety qualification is tied to specific trim versions, availability and pricing for these protected models may vary across dealer inventories.
The takeaway
The new safety requirements push manufacturers to reconsider the structural design of the front ends of their vehicles to better protect pedestrians. Buyers should verify if the specific trim level they intend to purchase meets the safety criteria as not every version of a model may qualify.
Further reading
For more information on vehicle safety ratings, visit the Car Types section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Road & Track.
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