Only one of these SUVs received a safety award
The three-row midsize SUV segment is a significant one in the United States, where large trunks and the ability to seat up to eight people are highly valued. Two of the most popular players in this category are the Ford Explorer and Toyota Grand Highlander. The Ford is the best-selling three-row SUV in America, while the Grand Highlander has surpassed the older Highlander as Toyota’s most popular three-row vehicle. If you’re wondering which one of these vehicles is the safest for you and your family, we’ve compared them based on the latest ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). These ratings apply to the 2026 versions of both.
Crashworthiness: Ford Takes The Lead
The IIHS evaluates vehicles in three crash scenarios. These are the small overlap front, a collision with the front corner of the vehicle; the moderate overlap front, an offset crash between two cars; and the side-impact test. Vehicles are then given a rating of Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor in each category. Here’s how the two SUVs compared.
| Ford Explorer | Toyota Grand Highlander | |
| Small Overlap Front | Good | Acceptable |
| Moderate Overlap Front | Good | Good |
| Side | Good | Good |
| Top Safety Pick award for 2026 | Yes | No |
Both SUVs performed well, but the Toyota missed out on a Top Safety Pick award because of its merely Acceptable score in the small overlap front test. In this test, the Toyota was rated Acceptable for how well the structure and safety cage held up. The driver restraints and dummy kinetics also received the same rating. Although the Ford had a slightly elevated risk of injury to the driver’s lower legs and feet, it still outperformed the Toyota overall and was good enough for a Top Safety Pick award.
Crash Prevention: Both Excel
Chase Bierenkoven
In this category, the IIHS tests for a vehicle’s ability to avoid a collision in the first place, be it with another car or a pedestrian. There’s also a headlight test, which can also influence a driver’s ability to avoid an accident in dark conditions.
| Ford Explorer | Toyota Grand Highlander | |
| Headlights | Good | Acceptable |
| Front crash prevention (vehicle-to-vehicle) | Not tested | Good |
| Front crash prevention (pedestrian) | Good | Good |
The Explorer was not tested for vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention, but both vehicles returned Good ratings in all crash-prevention tests that did take place. The Explorer’s headlights were rated as better than the Grand Highlander’s; only the Ford’s high beams had a range of over 500 feet.
If the Explorer gets a Good rating for the vehicle-to-vehicle test, it will also be better than the Toyota in this area.
Ford Is Better Overall, But Not Best-In-Class
Ford
Chase Bierenkoven
Besides one test that hasn’t taken place yet, the Ford Explorer has superior overall safety ratings to the Toyota Grand Highlander, which is good news for the thousands of Americans who buy the Ford each month. Neither vehicle has any major safety red flags, though, so if you prefer the Toyota for some reason, its safety scores are still strong enough to consider it.
In the three-row midsize category, you may also want to consider the Subaru Ascent, Mazda CX-90, Nissan Pathfinder, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Kia Sorento. These vehicles all achieved a Top Safety Pick+ award for 2026, making them even safer than the Explorer and Grand Highlander.
About the author
Karl Furlong
Senior Editor, Autoblog