The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Oct. 15 named the 2027 models it will put through its New Car Assessment Program, the government test behind the 5-Star Safety Ratings on new-car window stickers. Twenty-three vehicles will get the frontal, side and rollover crash tests. Eighteen will be checked under the agency's new pedestrian protection assessment, and 10 will be tested on five driver-assistance systems: automatic emergency braking, pedestrian automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, blind spot warning and blind spot intervention.
NHTSA says the year's ratings will cover 87% of all new vehicles. Three models appear on all three of its lists: the Kia Telluride, the Tesla Model 3 and the Volkswagen Atlas. Six more, the BMW X5, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Hyundai Elantra, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus NX 350h and Toyota Sienna Hybrid, will be both crash-tested and put through the driver-assistance tests. The Rivian R2 is on the driver-assistance list only.
The 23 vehicles headed for crash tests
The crash-test list is mostly SUVs, with 15 of the 23. It also includes three pickups, among them the Slate from the startup of the same name, four cars and one minivan. Kia and Nissan have four entries each; Nissan's include both the regular Rogue and the Rogue e-Power hybrid.
Model-year 2027 vehicles selected for NHTSA crash testing
| Make | Model | Body style | Pedestrian test | Driver-assist test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW | X5 | SUV | No | Yes |
| Chevrolet | Silverado 1500 | Crew-cab pickup | No | Yes |
| Chevrolet | Tahoe | SUV | No | No |
| Chevrolet | Trailblazer | SUV | No | No |
| Dodge | Charger | Four-door | No | No |
| Honda | Civic Type R | Hatchback | No | No |
| Hyundai | Elantra | Four-door | No | Yes |
| Hyundai | Tucson | SUV | No | No |
| INFINITI | QX65 | SUV | No | No |
| Jeep | Cherokee | SUV | No | Yes |
| Kia | EV3 | SUV | Yes | No |
| Kia | Niro | SUV | No | No |
| Kia | Seltos | SUV | No | No |
| Kia | Telluride | SUV | Yes | Yes |
| Lexus | NX 350h | SUV | No | Yes |
| Nissan | Frontier Crew Cab | Crew-cab pickup | Yes | No |
| Nissan | Pathfinder | SUV | No | No |
| Nissan | Rogue | SUV | No | No |
| Nissan | Rogue e-Power | SUV | No | No |
| Slate | Slate | Pickup | No | No |
| Tesla | Model 3 | Four-door | Yes | Yes |
| Toyota | Sienna Hybrid | Minivan | No | Yes |
| Volkswagen | Atlas | SUV | Yes | Yes |
Source: NHTSA, Oct. 15, 2026. The Rivian R2 is selected for driver-assist testing only; 13 other models are selected for pedestrian testing only.
Pedestrian protection is a new rating
Pedestrian protection is the newest part of the program. Besides the Telluride, Model 3, Atlas, EV3 and Frontier, NHTSA's pedestrian list includes the Acura MDX, Audi Q5, gas-powered Ford Explorer, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Santa Cruz, Mazda CX-50 and CX-90, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan Sentra, Subaru Outback, Toyota Prius, RAV4 Hybrid and Tundra. The agency labels this round verification testing.
In September, NHTSA published its first pedestrian results for 2027 models: 102 models from 10 manufacturers met the new criteria, Automotive World and Repairer Driven News reported. The tests measure injury risk to the head, hips, legs and knees using child and adult head forms striking the hood and windshield, an upper-leg form hitting the front edge of the hood and a full lower-leg form hitting the bumper. Repairer Driven News noted that not every trim of a qualifying model meets the criteria. "By adding a new category for pedestrian safety, we will help consumers make informed choices," NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said at the time.
What it means if you're shopping for a 2027 model
The driver-assistance tests have been a long time coming. NHTSA finalized the addition of blind spot warning, blind spot intervention, lane keeping assist and pedestrian automatic emergency braking in late 2024, then pushed the update back one model year in September 2025, citing industry concerns, according to Repairer Driven News. Model-year 2027 is the first to be evaluated under it.
"For more than 30 years, NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings have helped families choose the vehicle that's right for them," Morrison said in announcing the list. NHTSA has not given a date for results. It says ratings will be posted at NHTSA.gov/Ratings once testing and quality checks of the data are complete. Until then, shoppers can look up any existing rating for a model by year, make and model on the same page, and check that the window sticker lists the crash-test stars for the exact vehicle on the lot.
