Did the chicken come before the egg, or was it the other way around? Although this question remains a mystery to some and debated by others, we know that vehicles preceded security systems. Fortunately, we live in a time when more vehicles are equipped with advanced safety equipment than ever before. The IIHS gives us its list of the safest crossover SUVs for 2022, where you’ll find 34 different models to choose from for safe driving.

The most complete line of Top Safety Pick+ SUVs

Small, mid-size and luxury crossover SUVs are flocking to top safety ratings in droves. According to Forbes, 2022 has more Top Safety Pick+ award winners among SUVs than ever before. This high performance gives you a long list of awesome crossovers you can drive and you know you’ll have a complete safety package in your vehicle. In addition to the 34 models on the TSP+ list, 20 additional SUVs earned the Top Safety Pick rating.

How does a crossover SUV get the TSP+ rating?

RELATED: 2021 Hyundai SUVs are among the safest you can buy

For the IIHS to award a vehicle the highest honor, that model must first receive good marks in all crash tests. These tests include:

• Front impact
• Side impact
• Driver side small overlap
• Small passenger side overlap

Once passed the crash tests, a vehicle must then obtain a “superior” or “advanced” rating for the forward automatic emergency braking system. To achieve top status, these crossover SUVs must automatically apply the brakes and reduce speed by at least five mph in the 12 and 25 mph tests or avoid the crash altogether. The collision must be avoided in one of the two tests to obtain the advanced rating.

Earning the coveted “Plus” requires the vehicle to demonstrate good or acceptable quality headlights as part of standard equipment. These models without more must offer highly rated headlights as an option for the vehicle.

Which crossover SUVs have achieved the Top Safety Pick+ rating?

Small SUVs

• Chevy Pioneer
• Ford Bronco Sports
• Hyundai Tucson
• Mazda CX-5
• Mazda CX-30
• Mitsubishi Outlander
• Nissan Rogue
• Volvo C40 Refill
• Volvo XC40
• Volvo XC40 Refill

Midsize SUVs

• Ford Explorer
• Hyundai Palisade
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Mazda CX-9
• Nissan Murano
• Subaru Ascension
• Toyota Highlander
• Volkswagen ID.4

Luxury mid-size SUVs

• Acura MDX
• Acura RDX
• Audi Q5
• Audi Q5 Sportback
• Cadillac XT6
• Genesis GV70
• Genesis GV80
• Hyundai Nexo
• Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class
• Tesla Model Y
• Volvo XC60
• XC60 refill
• Volvo XC90
• XC90 refill

Large SUVs

• Audi e-tron
• Audi e-tron Sportback

The menu is long; which SUV should you drive?

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It’s hard to pick one or two of the crossover SUVs from this list and tell you what to drive without looking at anything other than safety. As you can see, the list gives you a variety of options. You can select one of the electric models and enjoy the Volkswagen ID.4, Audi e-tron or Tesla Model Y. If you want a very fun-to-drive crossover, there are three Mazda models on the list, the CX -30, CX-5 and CX-9. You see several SUVs from mainstream brands and a long list of luxury versions.

While you’re still trying to figure out which vehicle you want to drive, keep in mind that all of these crossover SUVs have passed rigorous IIHS testing to be the safest SUVs on the road.

RELATED: 2022 Mazda CX-5 vs 2022 Nissan Rogue: Surprisingly Different SUVs