2022 BMW X5 earns Top Safety Pick award

The 2022 BMW X5, a midsize luxury SUV, earns a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety when equipped with specific headlights.

To qualify for either of the Institute’s two awards, vehicles must earn good ratings in six IIHS crashworthiness evaluations, including the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength and head restraint tests. They must also be available with a front crash prevention system that earns advanced or superior ratings in both the vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations.

Headlight ratings are what separate the higher-tier Top Safety Pick+ award from the lower-tier Top Safety Pick. For the lower-tier award, at least one good or acceptable headlight system must be available. For the “plus,” good or acceptable headlights must be standard across all trims.

The X5 meets all the requirements for the lower-tier award. The standard and optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention systems both earn superior ratings, and the standard vehicle-to-pedestrian system earns a superior rating. The headlights that come with the Executive trim and the optional Laser Light package earn a good rating. However, a poor rating for the base headlights prevents the vehicle from qualifying for Top Safety Pick+.