Volvo has been considered one of the main symbols of automotive safety for decades, but today the Swedish brand has to yield to competitors. According to the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), five compact crossovers received higher ratings than the Volvo XC40. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

Interestingly, almost all models on the list are officially sold in Kazakhstan.

The Volvo XC40 itself cannot be called an unsafe car: in a number of crash tests it earned the maximum Good rating. However, for side impact and whiplash protection, the crossover only received Acceptable. Some tests – such as headlights, collision avoidance systems, and LATCH child seat anchors – were not conducted by IIHS.

As a result, the crossover did not receive the highest Top Safety Pick+ award.

According to IIHS, five compact SUVs surpassed Volvo in overall results.

The Subaru Forester became the top performer of the rating. It is the only model that received Good in almost all tests and earned the Top Safety Pick+ award. LATCH child seat anchors also earned a maximum Good+ rating for ease of use and the ability to install seats in all three second-row positions.

The Mazda CX-5 showed maximum results in crash tests, collision avoidance systems, and seat belt reminders. However, the Good rating for headlights applies only to the top S Premium Plus trim – in more affordable versions they received Acceptable.

The BMW X1 proved stronger than Volvo in the side crash test and also demonstrated high results in headlights, child seat anchors, and pedestrian collision avoidance systems. The weak point was seat belt reminders: they received a Marginal rating due to too quiet a signal and lack of indication for second-row passengers.

The Hyundai Tucson also joined the Top Safety Pick+ winners. The crossover received maximum ratings in frontal and side crash tests and for collision avoidance systems. Whiplash protection was rated Poor, but this was not enough to deprive the car of the highest IIHS award.

The Kia Sportage rounds out the top 5. The model earned Top Safety Pick+ and Good ratings in almost all key tests. Exceptions were whiplash protection and child seat anchors – the Sportage received Acceptable for these.

Just a few years ago, Volvo was considered an industry benchmark in safety. It was the Swedish company that gave the world the three-point seat belt, which later became a global standard.

However, IIHS results show that competitors today have not only caught up with Volvo but in some segments have surpassed it in independent tests. At the same time, the XC40 remains one of the safest compact crossovers, just no longer the only benchmark in its class.

Earlier, Kursiv Avto reported on the most popular SUVs in Kazakhstan in 2026.