The 2026 Forester and Forester Hybrid earn IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ Award   

If Subaru is probably best known for its commitment to all-wheel drive, it is also well known for… well… ads featuring adorable golden retrievers driving their cars. But after that, Subaru should be known for its dedication to safety. This is the automotive brand with the most consistent TOP SAFETY PICK (TSP) awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In that vein, Twin Falls Subaru is proud to announce that the 2026 Forester earned IIHS’s highest designation, the TOP SAFETY PICK + (TSP+). 

The TSP+ rating applies to all trim levels of the Subaru Forester, including the Subaru Forester Hybrid and Wilderness models. It raises the model’s designation from TSP in 2025 to the top TSP+ award. It also marks the Subaru Forester’s 10th IIHS TSP+ award.  

The Forester and Forester Hybrid have also earned Overall 5-Star ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Wilderness model has not yet been tested. 

The IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation is awarded each year to a limited number of vehicles that meet the organization’s most comprehensive safety standards. For 2025, IIHS raised its standards for TPS and TPS+ evaluations, including assessing rear-occupant protection for the first time. Vehicles must achieve an acceptable rating in the updated moderate-overlap front crash test to qualify for a TOP SAFETY PICK award, while a good rating is required to earn TOP SAFETY PICK+. Vehicles with an “Acceptable” rating in some lesser areas, such as headlight effectiveness, LATCH ease of use, and seatbelt reminders, can still earn a TSP designation. The 2026 Forester is one of only three models tested thus far that earned a “Good” – IIHS’s highest rating – in all categories.  

Helping the Forester earn the award is its extraordinary structure, designed to sacrifice itself to preserve the cabin’s integrity.  Also helping, particularly in getting that + at the end, is the standard EyeSight  bundle of safety and driver assistance technologies that include: 

• Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control 

• Lane Centering 

• Steering Responsive Headlights  

• High Beam Assist 

“Safety remains a core focus for Subaru, and we will continue to design vehicles that support driver awareness and passenger protection across our lineup. Earning a TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation for the 2026 Subaru Forester from the IIHS is an honor and recognition to our teams working to make safety a priority for all our vehicles.” – Jeff Walters, President and Chief Operating Officer, Subaru of America, Inc. 

So far, the 2025 Solterra accompanies the 2026 Forester in earning a TSP+.  The Ascent has a TSP rating.  More Subaru models can be expected to be tested through the 2026 model year.  

To pursue a car that is as dedicated to protecting you as you are to enjoying it, test drive a new Forester in any of its six trim levels at Twin Falls Subaru.