The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has recognized the 2022 Kia Stinger with its Top Safety Pick+ award — the highest safety accolade from the Institute. 

The large car was put through the paces, undergoing a series of critical crashworthiness tests and acing each and every one. These included the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. 

Earning good scores in those six tests put the Stinger on the road to the safety award. However, to roll away with “plus” status vehicles must also be available with a front crash prevention system that earns advanced or superior ratings in both the vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations.

The Stinger measured up on both counts. The car comes with a standard front crash prevention system that earns a superior rating in the vehicle-to-vehicle evaluation and an advanced rating in the vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluation.

Finally, to capture “plus” status vehicles must feature good or acceptable headlights that come standard across all trim levels. The 2022 Stinger qualifies for the higher-tier award because Kia stopped offering the poor-rated halogen headlights that prevented the 2021 edition from achieving “plus” level. 

Instead, the new headlights boost safety confidence, making the 2022 Kia Stinger an example of smart engineering. The GT-line and GT1 trims now come with good-rated LED reflector headlights, while the GT2 trim has curve-adaptive LED projectors that earn an acceptable rating. What’s more, both headlight systems are equipped with high beam assist.