Toyota Land Cruiser Missed An IIHS Award For One Key Reason

The Toyota Land Cruiser has built its reputation on toughness, reliability, and the ability to survive just about anything. But when it comes to the latest IIHS crash tests, the rugged SUV did not quite come out on top.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently released fresh safety scores for 16 vehicles, and only two managed to earn awards under the organization’s increasingly strict standards. The 2026 Land Cruiser came close, but one particular test kept it from making the cut.

To its credit, the Toyota performed very well in both the small overlap front crash and the updated side-impact test, earning the highest possible “Good” rating in each. Those tests simulate some of the nastiest real-world crashes, including hitting another vehicle or object with the front corner of the SUV and being struck from the side. In both cases, the Land Cruiser’s structure held up impressively well.

The trouble came in the updated moderate overlap front crash test, which now puts much more focus on rear-seat passenger protection. While the safety cage itself remained stable, the IIHS found an elevated risk of leg and foot injuries for the driver, along with increased head, neck, and chest injury risks for rear passengers. The rear dummy’s head also moved dangerously close to the front seatback during the test, while the lap belt shifted upward from the pelvis toward the abdomen.

That result left the Land Cruiser with only a “Marginal” rating in the moderate overlap test, preventing it from qualifying for a safety award. It does not suddenly make the SUV unsafe, but it does show how much crash testing standards have evolved. Being solid and durable is no longer enough on its own. Rear-seat protection is becoming just as important as keeping the driver safe.