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2026 Nissan Frontier Safety Rating

Small pickups Β· Current IIHS listing Β· IIHS data updated 2026-09-04

Complete evidence record

The 2026 Nissan Frontier scores 74.8/100, ranking #3 of 7 current small pickups and #105 of 137 vehicles overall with complete IIHS records. It does not hold a current IIHS award.

Results below Good: Side (updated test) rated Acceptable, Headlights (varies by trim/option) rated Acceptable. Rear-passenger restraints in the updated moderate-overlap test: Acceptable; rear-passenger head protection: Marginal.

74.8
Safety score / 100
Complete record
No award
IIHS award
No current award
#3
of 7 small pickups
See the class ranking
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†
NHTSA overall
Reference only, not scored
$33,550
Starting MSRP
Approximate base trim
30
Class driver death rate
per million vehicle-years; all vehicles 38

IIHS crash-test results

Front Crash Prevention: PedestrianPoor
Front Crash Prevention: Vehicle-to-VehicleMarginal
Small Overlap Front Good
Moderate Overlap Front: Updated Test Good
Side: Updated Test Acceptable
Headlights (Varies By Trim/option) Acceptable
Seat Belt Reminders Good
Latch Ease Of Use Marginal
Detailed results by test (60 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 Marginal
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 Acceptable
Thigh Good
Rear passenger restraints and dummy kinematics Acceptable

Side: updated test

Overall evaluation Acceptable
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 protectionThe dummy's head contacted the seat belt D-ring and C-pillar hard, through the side curtain airbag. The head protection is inadequate. Marginal

Headlights

Overall rating Acceptable
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
Overall ratingApplies to 2022-26 models Acceptable
Overall rating Acceptable
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
Overall ratingApplies to 2023-26 models Acceptable
Overall rating Marginal
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
Overall ratingApplies to 2026 models Marginal

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0

Overall evaluation Poor

Front crash prevention: pedestrian

Overall evaluation Acceptable

Seat belt reminders

Overall evaluation Good

Child seat anchors

Overall evaluation Marginal
View the IIHS report

Opens on iihs.org in a new tab

How the score is built

Primary IIHS tests (55%)
90.0
4/4 reported Β· small overlap, updated moderate overlap, updated side, headlights
Occupant-protection details (25%)
75.0
4/4 reported Β· rear restraints, rear head, safety cage, front restraints
Pedestrian front crash prevention (10%)
0.0
IIHS pedestrian AEB result: Poor Β· vehicle-to-vehicle: Marginal (shown, not scored)
Class context (10%)
65.4
Damped class-level driver death-rate term; award status is shown above but carries no weight
Rear-seat-priority score
73.3
Alternate published view: rear restraints weighted 20%
Injury-measure average (tiebreak only)
94.38
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 NISSAN FRONTIER CREW CAB PU/CC N/A 4WD

Overallβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†
Frontal crashβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†
Side crashβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
Rolloverβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† 20.4% 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 rate30 per million registered vehicle-yearsSmall pickups as a class, adjusted for driver age and sex (Farmer, 2023); all vehicles average 38. Class context only.
Nissan Frontier Crew Cab short bed 4WD (2017-20) driver death rate56 (95% CI 28–85)Earlier model years of this nameplate; class average for that study 28.0. Reflects who bought and drove those cars as well as the car.
Nissan Frontier Crew Cab short bed 2WD (2017-20) driver death rate58 (95% CI 27–88)Earlier model years of this nameplate; class average for that study 28.0. Reflects who bought and drove those cars as well as the car.

Compared with other small pickups

Closest-scoring current small pickups with complete IIHS records, plus the class leader. See every small pickup ranked β†’

VehicleClass rankIIHS awardRear restraintsStarts atScore
2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz #1 of 7 β€” Acceptable $29,750 81.2
2026 Jeep Gladiator #2 of 7 β€” Good $39,820 78.3
2026 Nissan Frontier (this page) #3 of 7 β€” Acceptable $33,550 74.8
2026 Ford Maverick #4 of 7 β€” Marginal $27,145 74.2
2026 Toyota Tacoma #5 of 7 β€” Poor $34,205 72.8

Our analysis

The 2026 Nissan Frontier belongs to the Small pickups class. This class has a below-average driver death rate compared with the national average of 38 deaths per million registered vehicle-years. 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 Nissan Frontier 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 Nissan Frontier earned 3 Good ratings. Results below Good deserve attention, especially the updated frontal and side tests that IIHS toughened in 2022 and 2023. Our updated crash test analysis explains what changed.

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

Safety recalls for the 2026 Nissan Frontier

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

Check your VIN at NHTSA

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2026 Nissan Frontier safety score 74.8 out of 100

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Questions about the 2026 Nissan Frontier

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Every Nissan model rated (this one is #7 of 9)Nissan Every small pickups rankedSmall pickups 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.