The 2022 Lexus NX and NX Plug-in Hybrid both won Top Safety Pick+ awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Top Safety Pick is good, but the plus means these two SUVs earned “good” ratings in six or more categories to earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ status.

These two Lexus SUVs are very similar and brand new for the 2022 model year. Both share a platform with the popular Toyota RAV4, but have similar design language to other Lexus SUVs, especially the smaller UX.

What was the score of the NX twins?

It’s rare to see so many “good” green boxes in an IIHS report. The IIHS says that to earn the highest rating the SUVs had to earn “good” rankings in six categories. In this case, they include:

• Driver side small overlap, front
• Small overlap on front passenger side
• Moderate overlap in the front
• original side
• Roof resistance
• Head support

Additionally, the vehicles must be available with a frontal collision prevention system that “scores advanced or higher in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian ratings.” There are a lot of things that go into a Top Safety Plus+ status.

SUV headlights should also be considered “acceptable” or “good.”

The only non-good rating the NX received was for leg/foot protection, and it was “acceptable,” the second-highest rating.

The Lexus NX is all new for 2022

The NX name isn’t new, but this model is. The new NX is based on the RAV4, but there isn’t much RAV4 visible in the NX. Instead, it’s been reimagined as a luxury SUV that can take on the BMW X1 and Audi Q3.

Lexus is trying to electrify its range and the new NX offers several options. You can order the NX as a 2.5-litre hybrid, called the NX350h, and the first Lexus plug-in hybrid, the NX450h+. They are luxury SUVs with a full range of technologies and driving aids. They also feature a new human-machine interface that replaces the much-maligned Lexus trackpad in its older cars to control many of the car’s functions. They are also all-wheel drive.

The NX350’s 2.3-liter turbo four-cylinder has 275 horsepower, while the NX250 has a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 203 horsepower and can be ordered in front-wheel drive. The 350h version is a hybrid that pairs a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with two high-torque motors for 239 horsepower and up to 39 mpg. The big news, however, is the 450h+ variant’s plug-in hybrid system. The 450h+ can go 36 miles on electric and returns an estimated equivalent of 84 mpg.

The NX Plug-In Hybrid is still a rare car to see on the road. In March, Lexus said it sold just 605 copies of the all-new SUV, compared to 2,559 of the hybrid NX and more than 10,000 of the gasoline-powered NX.

Only two competing small luxury SUVs earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ status, and they’re both Volvos

The small luxury SUV segment is hot right now. Luxury SUV makers are all trying to get in on the action, including Audi with the Q3, BMW with the X1 and Mercedes with the GLA. But when it comes to winning the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ awards, only three other smaller luxury SUVs make the cut, and they’re all Volvo XC40 variants.

The Chevrolet Trailblazer, Ford Bronco Sport, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-30 and CX-5, Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan Rogue all win Top Safety Pick+ awards. But these aren’t luxury SUVs like the NX.

Instead, if you’re looking for a small, five-passenger SUV with a high safety rating, you’ll want to look for a C40 or XC40. The 2022 C40 is available as an all-EV Recharge model or as a gasoline model with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder. Both models are very accepting the C40 is the sportiest version of the SUV with a fastback style roof.

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