2026 Lexus RX Safety Rating

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

Complete evidence record

The 2026 Lexus RX scores 72.1/100, ranking #21 of 23 current midsize luxury SUVs and #115 of 137 vehicles overall with complete IIHS records. It does not hold a current IIHS award.

Results below Good: Moderate overlap front (updated test) rated Poor. Rear-passenger restraints in the updated moderate-overlap test: Poor; rear-passenger head protection: Good.

72.1
Safety score / 100
Complete record
No award
IIHS award
No current award
#21
of 23 midsize luxury SUVs
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
NHTSA overall
Reference only, not scored
$49,725
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
Small Overlap Front Good
Moderate Overlap Front: Updated Test Poor
Side: Updated Test Good
Headlights Good
Seat Belt Reminders Good
Latch Ease Of Use Good
Detailed results by test (56 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 Acceptable
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics Good
Driver injury measures
Head/neck Acceptable
Chest Good
Hip/thigh Good
Lower leg/foot Good
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics Good

Moderate overlap front: updated test

Overall evaluation Poor
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 Poor
Thigh Good
Rear passenger restraints and dummy kinematics Poor

Side: updated test

Overall evaluation Good
Structure and safety cage Good
Driver injury measures
Head/neck Good
Torso Good
Pelvis Marginal
Driver head protection Good
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck Good
Torso Good
Pelvis Good
Rear passenger head protection Good

Headlights

Overall rating Good
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
Overall ratingApplies to 2023-26 models Good
Overall rating Good
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
Overall ratingApplies to 2023-26 models Good

Front crash prevention: pedestrian

Overall evaluation Good

Seat belt reminders

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%)
70.0
4/4 reported Β· small overlap, updated moderate overlap, updated side, headlights
Occupant-protection details (25%)
60.0
4/4 reported Β· rear restraints, rear head, safety cage, front restraints
Pedestrian front crash prevention (10%)
100.0
IIHS pedestrian AEB result: Good
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
65.1
Alternate published view: rear restraints weighted 20%
Injury-measure average (tiebreak only)
89.38
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 β†’

NHTSA 5-star rating

2026 LEXUS RX 350 SUV N/A AWD

Overallβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
Frontal crashβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†
Side crashβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
Rolloverβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† 15.5% risk

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

Real-world context

MeasureResultWhat it covers
Class driver death rate11 per million registered vehicle-yearsMidsize luxury SUVs as a class, adjusted for driver age and sex (Farmer, 2023); all vehicles average 38. Class context only.

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 β†’

VehicleClass rankIIHS awardRear restraintsStarts atScore
2027 Tesla Model Y #1 of 23 TSP+ Good $39,990 98.6
2026 Acura MDX #20 of 23 β€” Marginal $51,800 84.5
2026 Lexus RX (this page) #21 of 23 β€” Poor $49,725 72.1
2026 Audi Q4 e-tron #22 of 23 β€” Marginal $50,600 70.7
2026 Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron #22 of 23 β€” Marginal $59,000 70.7

Our analysis

The 2026 Lexus RX 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 Lexus RX has no IIHS Top Safety Pick award for 2026. That can mean a result below the award threshold in one test, or tests IIHS has not completed. Absence of an award is not evidence that the vehicle is unsafe.

Across the 6 IIHS rating categories reported, the Lexus RX earned 5 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 Lexus or any manufacturer. Read the full methodology or learn more about us.

Safety recalls for the 2026 Lexus RX

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

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2026 Lexus RX safety score 72.1 out of 100

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Questions about the 2026 Lexus RX