Reduced headlight glare lifts 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander to highest award

The 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander, a small SUV, qualifies for a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, thanks to improved headlights.

The award applies to Outlanders built after June 2021, when Mitsubishi adjusted the standard LED reflector headlights supplied with all trims to reduce excessive glare. Previously rated poor, the headlights now earn a good rating. Owners of Outlanders produced earlier can return to any Mitsubishi Motors dealer partner for a no-cost adjustment to the aiming of their vehicle’s headlights.

Top Safety Pick+ is the higher of the Institute’s two awards. To earn the accolade, vehicles must come with good or acceptable headlights across all trims. For the lower-tier Top Safety Pick award, at least one good or acceptable headlight system must be available.

For either award, vehicles must earn good ratings in all six IIHS crashworthiness evaluations, including the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, 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.

The Outlander meets all those requirements, earning superior ratings in both evaluations for its standard Forward Collision Mitigation System and a good rating for the LED reflector headlights that are standard across all trims.