Is the 2026 BMW X5 a safe car?

The 2026 BMW X5 scores 94.7/100 in our published formula and ranks #13 of 23 current midsize luxury SUVs with complete IIHS records. It holds the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award.

Is the 2026 BMW X5 an IIHS Top Safety Pick?

Yes. The 2026 BMW X5 is a IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for the 2026 model year.

What is the 2026 BMW X5 NHTSA rating?

NHTSA gives the 2026 BMW X5 SUV N/A AWD an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars (frontal 4, side 5, rollover 4). NHTSA stars are shown for reference and are not part of our score.

How does the 2026 BMW X5 compare with other midsize luxury SUVs?

The class leader is the 2027 Tesla Model Y at 98.6/100. The comparison table on this page lists the closest-scoring current midsize luxury SUVs with complete records.

2026 BMW X5 Safety Rating

Name: 2026 BMW X5
Brand: BMW

Midsize luxury SUVs · Current IIHS listing · IIHS data updated 2026-09-04

Complete evidence record

The 2026 BMW X5 scores 94.7/100, ranking #13 of 23 current midsize luxury SUVs and #24 of 137 vehicles overall with complete IIHS records. It holds the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award for 2026.

Results below Good: Headlights rated Acceptable. Rear-passenger restraints in the updated moderate-overlap test: Acceptable; rear-passenger head protection: Good.

94.7

Safety score / 100

Complete record

TSP+

IIHS award

IIHS Top Safety Pick+

#13

of 23 midsize luxury SUVs

See the class ranking

★★★★☆

NHTSA overall

Reference only, not scored

$68,300

Starting MSRP

Approximate base trim

11

Class driver death rate

per million vehicle-years; all vehicles 38

IIHS crash-test results

Front Crash Prevention: PedestrianGood

Front Crash Prevention: Vehicle-to-VehicleAcceptable

Small Overlap Front Good

Moderate Overlap Front: Updated Test Good

Side: Updated Test Good

Headlights Acceptable

Latch Ease Of Use Good

Detailed results by test (53 entries)

IIHS publishes these under the test they belong to, so the same label can appear more than once. Rear restraints and kinematics, rear head protection, structure and safety cage, and front restraints are the four that count toward the score (25%).

Small overlap front

Overall driver-side evaluation Good

Structure and safety cage Good

Driver injury measures

Head/neck Good

Chest Good

Hip/thigh Good

Lower leg/foot Good

Driver restraints and dummy kinematics Good

Overall passenger-side evaluation Good

Structure and safety cage Good

Passenger injury measures

Head/neck Good

Chest Good

Hip/thigh Good

Lower leg/foot Good

Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics Good

Driver injury measures

Head/neck Good

Chest Good

Hip/thigh Good

Lower leg/foot Good

Driver restraints and dummy kinematics Good

Moderate overlap front: updated test

Overall evaluation Good

Structure and safety cage Good

Driver injury measures

Head/neck Good

Chest Good

Thigh/hip Good

Leg/foot Good

Driver restraints and dummy kinematics Good

Rear passenger injury measures

Head/neck Good

Chest Good

Thigh Good

Rear passenger restraints and dummy kinematics Acceptable

Side: updated test

Overall evaluation Good

Structure and safety cage Good

Driver injury measures

Head/neck Good

Torso Good

Pelvis Good

Driver head protection Good

Rear passenger injury measures

Head/neck Good

Torso Good

Pelvis Good

Rear passenger head protection Good

Headlights

Overall rating Acceptable

Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Overall ratingApplies to 2024-26 models Acceptable

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0

Overall evaluation Good

Front crash prevention: pedestrian

Overall evaluation Good

Child seat anchors

Overall evaluation Good

View the IIHS report

Opens on iihs.org in a new tab

How the score is built

Primary IIHS tests (55%)

97.5

4/4 reported · small overlap, updated moderate overlap, updated side, headlights

Occupant-protection details (25%)

90.0

4/4 reported · rear restraints, rear head, safety cage, front restraints

Pedestrian front crash prevention (10%)

100.0

IIHS pedestrian AEB result: Good · vehicle-to-vehicle: Acceptable (shown, not scored)

Class context (10%)

86.0

Damped class-level driver death-rate term; award status is shown above but carries no weight

Rear-seat-priority score

92.5

Alternate published view: rear restraints weighted 20%

Injury-measure average (tiebreak only)

99.38

Mean of 40 published injury measures across the three crash tests. Orders vehicles with equal scores; carries no weight in the score.

Full formula, weights, and missing-data rules →

NHTSA 5-star rating

2026 BMW X5 SUV N/A AWD

Overall★★★★☆

Frontal crash★★★★☆

Side crash★★★★★

Rollover★★★★☆ 15.9% risk

NHTSA stars are shown for reference and carry no weight in the score. NHTSA source. Why the two programs disagree →

Real-world context

Measure	Result	What it covers
Class driver death rate	11 per million registered vehicle-years	Midsize luxury SUVs as a class, adjusted for driver age and sex (Farmer, 2023); all vehicles average 38. Class context only.
BMW X5 4WD (2019-20) driver death rate	6 (95% CI 0–19)	Earlier model years of this nameplate; class average for that study 10.9. Reflects who bought and drove those cars as well as the car.

Compared with other midsize luxury SUVs

Closest-scoring current midsize luxury SUVs with complete IIHS records, plus the class leader. See every midsize luxury SUVs ranked →

Vehicle	Class rank	IIHS award	Rear restraints	Starts at	Score
2027 Tesla Model Y	#1 of 23	TSP+	Good	$39,990	98.6
2026 Infiniti QX60	#11 of 23	TSP+	Good	$51,200	94.8
2026 Genesis Electrified GV70	#13 of 23	TSP+	Good	$64,380	94.7
2026 Genesis GV70	#13 of 23	TSP+	Good	$47,985	94.7
2026 BMW X5 (this page)	#13 of 23	TSP+	Acceptable	$68,300	94.7

Other model years of the BMW X5

Model year	Status	IIHS award	Primary tests reported	Score
2025 BMW X5	Archived	TSP+	4/4	Not ranked

Each model year keeps its own record. Ratings from one year are never copied to another unless IIHS states the test applies.

Our analysis

The 2026 BMW X5 belongs to the Midsize luxury SUVs class. This class has one of the lowest driver death rates of any category, well below the national average of 38 deaths per million registered vehicle-years, reflecting mass, structure, and typical driver demographics. The class figure is adjusted for driver age and sex, which removes a large part of the selection effect in raw death rates. It is still a class average, not a measurement of this model.

The BMW X5 earned Top Safety Pick+ for 2026. That award requires Good results in the updated tests plus qualifying headlights and pedestrian front crash prevention on the relevant trims; the linked IIHS report shows the exact trims.

Across the 5 IIHS rating categories reported, the BMW X5 earned 4 Good ratings. One result sits below Good; the verdict at the top of the page names it.

This analysis is produced independently; we have no affiliation with BMW or any manufacturer. Read the full methodology or learn more about us.

Safety recalls for the 2026 BMW X5

No recalls on record. NHTSA lists this model year and currently shows no recall campaigns against it.

Check your VIN at NHTSA

Use this score on your own site

Writing about the 2026 BMW X5? Paste this badge into a post or forum reply. It updates on its own whenever IIHS publishes new results for this model.

Embed code

<a href="https://www.informedforlife.com/cars/bmw_x5-4-door-suv_2026"><img src="https://www.informedforlife.com/badges/bmw_x5-4-door-suv_2026.svg" width="260" height="96" alt="2026 BMW X5 safety score 94.7/100 on Informed for Life"></a>

Free to use with the link left intact. The badge is a plain image and an ordinary link, with no tracking script.

Questions about the 2026 BMW X5

Continue comparing

Every BMW model rated (this one is #2 of 4)BMW Every midsize luxury SUVs rankedMidsize luxury SUVs The full 2026 safety rankingAll vehicles

Shopping for a family? Compare three-row vehicles and rear-seat evidence. Buying used? See real driver death rates by model.