Top Safety Pick +Top Safety Pick criteria

2023 Kia Telluride

midsize SUV / 4-door SUV

2023 Kia Telluride 4-door SUV

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Small overlap front: driver-side
Small overlap front: passenger-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Moderate overlap front: updated test
Side: original test
Side: updated test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Headlights
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)
Standard system
Superior
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (night)
Standard system
Superior

Seat belts & child restraints

Seat belt reminders

Other available safety features

  • Standard blind spot detection
  • Standard lane departure warning & prevention

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2020-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2020 Kia Telluride SX 4-door 4wd

The Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade were introduced in the 2020 model year. Driver-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai/Kia and apply to both vehicles.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTN1906
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 9
Footrest (cm) 8
Left toepan (cm) 5
Brake pedal (cm) 4
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 2
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column 0
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 5
Upper dash (cm) 5
Lower instrument panel (cm) 6

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTN1906
Head
HIC-15 109
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.1
Extension bending moment (Nm) 18
Maximum Nij 0.29
Chest maximum compression (mm) 25
Femur (kN)
Left 1.2
Right 1.4
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 0
Right 3
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.38
Right 0.35
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 1.4
Right 1.3
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 58
Right 41

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2020-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2020 Kia Telluride SX 4-door 4wd

The Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade were introduced in the 2020 model year. Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai/Kia and apply to both vehicles.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on passenger side

Test ID VTP1912
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 8
Footrest (cm) 11
Right toepan (cm) 14
Center toepan (cm) 4
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 2
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm) 3
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 2
Upper dash (cm) 4
Right lower dash (cm) 5

Passenger injury measures

Test ID VTP1912
Head
HIC-15 119
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm) 30
Maximum Nij 0.34
Chest maximum compression (mm) 24
Femur (kN)
Left 0.5
Right 0.7
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 0
Right 1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.47
Right 0.42
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 1.3
Right 1.7
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 43
Right 52

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTP1912
Head
HIC-15 163
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm) 10
Maximum Nij 0.20
Chest maximum compression (mm) 26
Femur (kN)
Left 0.4
Right 0.4
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 1
Right 1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.34
Right 0.27
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 1.4
Right 1.0
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 42
Right 48

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2020-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2020 Kia Telluride SX 4-door 4wd

The Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade were introduced in the 2020 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai/Kia and apply to both vehicles.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTF1910
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 6
Left (cm) 10
Center (cm) 10
Right (cm) 8
Brake pedal (cm) 7
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -2
Rearward (cm) -4
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF1910
Head
HIC-15 211
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.8
Extension bending moment (Nm) 16
Maximum Nij 0.19
Chest maximum compression (mm) 30
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 1.2
Femur force - right (kN) 1.2
Knee displacement - left (mm) 1
Knee displacement - right (mm) 2
Maximum tibia index - left 0.26
Maximum tibia index - right 0.57
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.0
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 51
Right 84

About the original moderate overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: updated test

Rating applies to 2023-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2023 Kia Telluride SX 4-door 4wd

The Kia Telluride was introduced in the 2020 model year. These ratings do not apply to the Hyundai Palisade.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Thigh/hip
Leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Thigh
Rear passenger restraints and dummy kinematics

View of the vehicle after the crash showing the airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

The rear passenger dummy's head remained a safe distance from the front seatback.

Rear passenger dummy injury values indicate a low risk of injury to the head or neck and chest. During the crash, the shoulder belt moved too far upward toward the dummy’s neck, compromising the effectiveness of the rear restraint system.

The rear passenger dummy's lap belt remained in the ideal position on the pelvis.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF2333
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 9
Left (cm) 15
Center (cm) 16
Right (cm) 10
Brake pedal (cm) 13
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 1
Right (cm) 2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -1
Rearward (cm) -1
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF2333
Head
HIC-15 217
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm) 10
Maximum Nij 0.20
Chest maximum compression (mm) 29
Femur (kN)
Left 0.4
Right 1.0
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 2
Right 2
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.34
Right 0.30
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 1.7
Right 2.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 68
Right 69

Rear passenger injury measures

Test ID CEF2333
Head
HIC-15 for head contact during forward excursion
no contact
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.4
Compression (kN) 0.1
Maximum Nij for head contact during forward excursion
no contact
Chest
Chest index 29
Shoulder belt tension (kN) 5.0
Thigh (kN)
Left femur compression 0.2
Right femur compression 0.2

About the moderate overlap front test

February 2024 adjustment to rating criteria

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2020-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2020 Kia Telluride LX 4-door 4wd

The Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade were introduced in the 2020 model year. Two side tests of the Telluride were conducted, one by the Institute and the other by Hyundai/Kia. Ratings are based on both tests and apply to both vehicles.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the Institute's crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment (Institute test car shown).

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by side airbags in the Institute's test.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES1902 VTS1912
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -14.5 -18.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES1902 VTS1912
Head HIC-15 108 102
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.1 0.8
Compression (kN) 0.6 0.6
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 37 35
Lateral force (kN) 1.7 1.3
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 35 33
Average deflection (mm) 30 26
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.58 2.51
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.36 0.39
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.9 1.5
Acetabulum force (kN) 0.6 1.3
Combined force (kN) 2.3 2.7
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.1 0.8
L-M moment (Nm) 58 92
A-P moment (Nm) 16 23

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES1902 VTS1912
Head HIC-15 132 86
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.3 0.2
Compression (kN) 0.3 0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 34 25
Lateral force (kN) 1.4 1.2
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 38 33
Average deflection (mm) 28 24
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.19 3.83
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.52 0.43
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.2 0.2
Acetabulum force (kN) 0.8 0.8
Combined force (kN) 0.9 0.8
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.0 0.7
L-M moment (Nm) 171 118
A-P moment (Nm) -70 -34

About the original side crash test

Side: updated test

Rating applies to 2023-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2023 Kia Telluride EX 4-door 4wd

The Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade were introduced in the 2020 model year. Beginning with 2023 models, structural reinforcements as well as front and rear side airbag improvements were implemented to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes. Side 2.0 ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2023 Telluride conducted by Hyundai/Kia.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis
Rear passenger head protection
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTS2228
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -23.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTS2228
Head
HIC-15 68
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.7
Compression (kN) -0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 14
Lateral force (kN) 0.7
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 30
Average deflection (mm) 28
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.50
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.40
Pelvis
Combined force (kN) 4.6

Passenger injury measures

Test ID VTS2228
Head
HIC-15 70
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.4
Compression (kN) -0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 14
Lateral force (kN) 0.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 37
Average deflection (mm) 29
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.30
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.42
Pelvis
Combined force (kN) 2.2

About the side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2020-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2020 Kia Telluride LX 4-door 4wd

Rating applies to both the Kia Telluride (tested) and the structurally similar Hyundai Palisade.

Overall evaluation
Curb weight4,243 lbs
Peak force19,634 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio4.63

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual leatherette seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Manual leatherette seat
Geometry
Backset (mm) 42
Distance below top of head (mm) -6
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 11.1
Head contact time (ms) 62
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 0
Max neck tension (N) 414

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Headlights

Trim level(s)

  • All trims
Low-beam headlight typeLED projector
High-beam headlight typeLED projector
Curve-adaptive?No
High-beam assist?Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination High-beam assist credit

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the left side of the road and fair on the right side. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves and fair on both left curves.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves, fair on the sharp left curve and inadequate on the gradual left curve.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and on both left curves.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • All trims
Low-beam headlight type LED projector
High-beam headlight type LED projector
Curve-adaptive? No
High-beam assist? Yes
Overall rating
Applies to 2023-24 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 81.9 m None
Straightaway left edge 57.9 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 79.4 m None
250m radius left curve, right edge 57.1 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 64.6 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 54.3 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 161.8 m
Straightaway left edge 150.3 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 83.8 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 64.5 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 66.5 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 56.1 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)

System details

  • standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist

Overall evaluation

This rating applies to all 2023-24 models

Superior
Superior

Crossing child

  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 23 mph.

Crossing adult

  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Parallel adult

  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 37 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision. A warning was issued 1.9 seconds before impact.

About the pedestrian front crash prevention test

Front crash prevention: pedestrian (night)

Night

System details

  • standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist

Overall evaluation

Includes high-beam assist credit

This rating applies to all 2023-24 models
Superior
Superior

Crossing adult

  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision when using its high beams. When using its low beams, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision when using its high beams. When using its low beams, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Parallel adult

  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision when using its high beams. When using its low beams, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 37 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 36 mph when using its high beams and a warning was issued 1.8 seconds before impact. When using its low beams, impact speed was reduced by 32 mph and a warning was issued 1.2 seconds before impact.

About pedestrian front crash prevention test

Seat belt reminders

Rating applies to 2023-24 models

Overall evaluation
Front row
Unbelted occupant alert (audible & visual)
Initiation time
DurationLong enough (90+ seconds)
Volume
Audio frequency
Second row
Startup status alert (visual)
Initiation time
Duration at least 60 seconds
Belt disengaged alert (audible & visual)
Initiation time
Duration at least 30 seconds
Volume
Audio frequency
Technical measurements for this test
Background cabin sound pressure level at 24 km/h 48 dB
Audible signal sound pressure level at 24 km/h 59 dB
Difference between background and signal 10.6 dB
Background cabin sound pressure level at 40 km/h 53 dB
Audible signal sound pressure level at 40 km/h 61 dB
Difference between background and signal 8.1 dB
Dominant audio frequency 1760 Hz

About the seat belt reminder evaluation