Comparing the Genesis GV80 with the Lexus RX on safety comes down to who kept pace with the IIHS as it raised the bar. Genesis’s flagship SUV earns a 2026 Top Safety Pick+, meeting the institute’s toughest standards, including good ratings across the crash tests and the higher crash-avoidance thresholds. The RX, a former Top Safety Pick+ winner under earlier criteria, does not appear among the 2026 award recipients, because the standards it once met have since been tightened.
Lexus
Safety ratings at a glance
Here is how the two luxury SUVs line up on the ratings that determine the 2026 IIHS awards, alongside their federal crash-test scores.
| Safety measure | Genesis GV80 | Lexus RX |
|---|---|---|
| IIHS 2026 award | Top Safety Pick+ | No 2026 award |
| Small overlap front | Good | Good |
| Moderate overlap front (updated, rear seat) | Good | Acceptable |
| Side (updated) | Good | Good |
| Headlights | Acceptable or Good | Acceptable or Good |
| Front crash prevention | Good, pedestrian and vehicle-to-vehicle | Standard, qualifying grades |
| NHTSA overall rating | 5 stars | 5 stars |
How they stand with the IIHS
Genesis’s GV80 checks every box for the top tier in 2026. It earns good ratings in the small overlap front, moderate overlap front, and side crash tests, a good result in the pedestrian front crash prevention evaluation, and an acceptable or good rating in the updated vehicle-to-vehicle test, with acceptable or good headlights across the lineup. That is exactly the profile Top Safety Pick+ now requires.
Kristen Brown
The RX is a different case. In earlier testing it earned a Top Safety Pick+, but that was under criteria that accepted a lower grade in the moderate overlap front test. For 2026, the IIHS requires a good rating in that updated test, which now evaluates rear-seat protection, and the RX no longer clears that specific bar for an award. It remains a capably built vehicle, but it is not a current award winner.
Why the standards matter
The key to this comparison is that the IIHS deliberately makes its awards harder to earn over time, using real-world crash data to justify the changes. A vehicle that was a Top Safety Pick+ two years ago can lose that status without changing at all, simply because the test it passed has been replaced by a tougher one. That is what happened to the RX, and it is a useful reminder that a past award is not the same as a current one.
Jared Rosenholtz/Autoblog
For a buyer shopping today, the GV80’s 2026 credential carries more weight because it reflects performance against the current, stricter tests. The RX’s earlier honor was legitimate, but it speaks to an older standard.
The rest of the safety picture
Both SUVs come with comprehensive standard driver-assistance technology, and both are expected to perform well in federal NHTSA testing, so neither should be considered unsafe in absolute terms. The RX in particular has a long reputation for solid occupant protection and reliability. Still, when the question is which holds the stronger current safety credentials, the answer is clear. The GV80 met the 2026 bar; the RX, for now, did not.
Cole Attisha
So which one is safer?
On current credentials, the Genesis GV80 is safer. It earns a 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick+, clearing the institute’s toughest standards, while the Lexus RX does not hold a 2026 award after the criteria tightened beyond what it clears in the updated moderate-overlap test. The Lexus RX is not a dangerous vehicle, and its history of strong results, along with its expected federal ratings, mean buyers who prefer it are not taking a real risk. But by the letter of the 2026 IIHS ratings, the GV80 carries the current top honor and takes the win.
About the author
Kyle Edward
Editor-in-Chief, Autoblog