2027 Hyundai Kona Safety Features and IIHS Rating at Webb Hyundai Highland

Webb Hyundai Highland | (219) 923-2277 | 9236 Indianapolis Blvd, Highland, IN 46322

What does a 2026 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ actually mean?

TOP SAFETY PICK+ is the higher of the two awards the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gives out, and it is not handed over for a single good crash result. Earning the plus requires strong performance across the Institute’s crashworthiness evaluations together with its front crash prevention and headlight requirements.

The headlight piece is the one people forget, and it is the one that matters most on an unlit stretch of county road in Lake County Indiana at 6 a.m. in January. A vehicle can crash-test well and still fail to earn the plus if its headlights do not light the road properly.

Is Hyundai a safe brand to buy into?

Hyundai carries a separate, independent credential worth weighing: U.S. News & World Report named it America’s Best SUV Brand, second year running. A brand-level award is not the same thing as a crash rating, but repeating it two years in a row says something about consistency across a lineup rather than one lucky model.

Combined with the Kona’s 2026 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+, a shopper at Webb Hyundai Highland is looking at both a vehicle-level and a brand-level result pointing the same direction.

Which driver assistance features are on a specific 2027 Kona?

That depends on the trim and the package, and this page will not guess. Driver assistance content differs between the SE, SEL Sport, SEL Premium and Limited, and a feature list copied from a national brochure is a poor substitute for the window sticker on the car sitting at 9236 Indianapolis Blvd.

The reliable method takes two minutes: call Webb Hyundai Highland at (219) 923-2277, give the trim or the VIN, and have the team read the equipment list. Two verified items that are worth asking about by name are Remote Smart Parking Assist and HTRAC All Wheel Drive, both available on the Kona.

How do the Kona displays help in bad weather?

The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster puts speed and directions directly ahead of the driver, so eyes leave the road for less time. In a whiteout on the Borman Expressway (I-80/94), or in heavy rain crossing Indianapolis Blvd at dusk, less glance time away from the windshield is a safety benefit even though it never appears in a crash test score.

Standard wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto play the same role. A phone that connects on its own is a phone the driver is not handling at a green light.

How does the safety picture compare with the 2026 Kia Seltos?

The Kona brings a stated, current credential to the table: 2026 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+. For the Seltos, the responsible move is to check the Institute’s current listing for that model year rather than assume a rating carried over, and Webb Hyundai Highland will not publish a Kia rating it has not verified.

On the mechanical side, both offer all-wheel drive as an option rather than as standard equipment: HTRAC All Wheel Drive on the Kona, torque-vectoring all-wheel drive on the Seltos. Both start life as front-wheel-drive vehicles, which is worth knowing before assuming a base model handles a Lake County snow event the way an all-wheel-drive one would.

How do I check safety equipment on the Kona in Highland?

Webb Hyundai Highland has one 2027 Kona in stock as of August 10, 2026, an SEL Sport with front-wheel drive at $29,325. A shopper can read that unit’s window sticker in person at 9236 Indianapolis Blvd, or have it read over the phone at (219) 923-2277.

If a different trim is needed to get specific equipment, Webb Hyundai Highland can look at its sister store, Webb Hyundai Merrillville, and pursue a dealer trade. The complete model rundown lives on the 2027 Hyundai Kona page at Webb Hyundai Highland.

How do I confirm the IIHS award applies to the exact Kona I am buying?

Ask, and ask specifically. Awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are published against a model, and award criteria can carry build qualifications, so the safe assumption is never that every configuration on every lot is identical. The 2026 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ is the credential the Kona carries, and Webb Hyundai Highland will confirm how it lines up with a specific unit before a shopper signs.

The mechanics of that are simple. Bring the VIN or the stock number to (219) 923-2277, or walk the car at 9236 Indianapolis Blvd and read the sticker together with a salesperson. A shopper coming over from Griffith or Schererville should also ask which headlights are fitted, since headlight performance is one of the criteria the Institute weighs and it is the criterion most often overlooked in a showroom.

Key takeaways

• The Kona is a 2026 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+, the Institute’s higher award tier.
• TOP SAFETY PICK+ requires crashworthiness results plus front crash prevention and headlight performance.
• Hyundai was named America’s Best SUV Brand by U.S. News & World Report, second year running.
• Driver assistance content varies across the SE, SEL Sport, SEL Premium and Limited trims; confirm by VIN.
• Remote Smart Parking Assist and HTRAC All Wheel Drive are both available rather than standard.
• The 12.3-inch digital cluster and standard wireless phone mirroring cut down glance time away from the road.
• One 2027 Kona is in stock in Highland, an SEL Sport front-wheel drive at $29,325; call (219) 923-2277 to have its sticker read to you.

Frequently asked questions about the 2027 Hyundai Kona