Two Jeep Grand Cherokee Models Land The Highest Safety Awards from the IIHS

Jeep owners now have one additional reason to give each other the famous “Jeep wave”, because both the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L received TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

For any vehicle to receive the award for TOP SAFETY PICK+ is the highest honor bestowed by the IIHS. It is even more impressive due to the institute’s raised safety testing standards. In order to qualify, a vehicle must receive “good” ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap from, updated side and original moderate overlap front tests. They must also receive “good” or “acceptable” ratings for headlights across all trims, and a front crash prevention system with an “advanced” or “superior” rating in both the daytime and nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluation.

RELATED: Watch Our Full Jeep TrashHawk Build

In the case of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L, both of these SUVs met the above requirements with flying colors.

A Great Comeback For The Jeep Grand Cherokee

The news of these awards comes as a bit of a redemption for the SUVs, as both models did not test as well in its previous round of testing.

The new standard two-row Jeep Grand Cherokee received structural modifications in its undercarriage. In its production prior to March 2023, the SUV had experienced a fuel leak when a sharp piece of metal had dislodged and punctured its fuel tank during the IIHS’s updated side test, which earned it a “poor” rating.

Meanwhile, the new three-row Jeep Grand Cherokee L had also received similar structural modifications in its production.

Before making these changes, Jeep had also readjusted the aim of its headlights on all of the trims in January 2023. After these changes, the LED reflectors equipped on the Limited, Overland, Summit, and Summit Reserve trims had all received “good” ratings, while the Laredo and Altitude trims earned “acceptable” ratings. Prior to these changes, both the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L received “poor” scores in its headlight variations due to their low beams producing excessive levels of glare.