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2019 Genesis G70 RWD 2.0T Dynamic

Cars.com photo by Christian Lantry

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety named the all-new 2019 Genesis G70 a Top Safety Pick Plus award winner along with its larger G80 and G90 luxury sedan siblings. The Genesis lineup earned the highest crashworthiness credentials along with more than 50 other vehicles among the first crop of vehicles evaluated under IIHS’ revamped-for-2019 ratings system.

Related: Report: Headlights Improving, But Most Base Models Still in the Dark

To qualify for the 2019 award, Top Safety Pick Plus winners need a score of good in the passenger-side small overlap front crash test. That’s a revised criterion from 2018, when vehicles could still qualify with the lower acceptable rating. Winners must also receive a good rating in four other crash tests — driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, roof strength and head restraint tests.

Winners must also have a good rating in headlight testing and an advanced or superior rating for available front crash prevention technology. Both of those scores can be awarded to optional features, meaning that not just any vehicle off the lot — particularly lower trim levels — will necessarily be a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick Plus.

Related: 2019 Genesis G70: A Delightful Sports Sedan

As of the initial round of 2019 ratings, the only direct competitor for the G70 that was also named a Top Safety Pick Plus was the 2019 Lexus ES family of sedans. Audi’s A4 and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedans could only manage acceptable headlight ratings and thus were named Top Safety Picks.

Competing against themselves, the entire Genesis lineup has enjoyed Top Safety Pick Plus status since the Hyundai spinoff luxury brand’s inception. The G80 and G90 each earned the Plus designation for both the 2017 and 2018 model years, while the G70 enters its first model year in production, 2019, with high honors.

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