2025 Pathfinder Awarded IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ Rating

For all its rugged looks and capabilities, most Nissan Pathfinders spend their weekdays covering family duties. This includes commuting, taking kids to and from school and extracurricular activities, shopping, and so on. When families are involved, safety becomes a priority. Therefore, Dick Smith Nissan of Columbia proudly announces that the 2025 Nissan Pathfinder was named a TOP SAFETY PICK+  by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), their highest safety designation.  

This marks the fourth consecutive year the Pathfinder has achieved IIHS’s highest rating. That doesn’t mean it simply passed the same tests each year, as IIHS continually makes its testing criteria more stringent. For example, in 2024, IIHS updated its moderate overlap front crash test (only part of the vehicle’s front end hits a rigid barrier, creating a higher challenge than hitting a wall with the full front end)  to include a second dummy simulating a small adult or a 12-year-old child seated behind the driver. This is the first time the test has evaluated the injury risk commonly experienced by second-row passengers.   

To earn the IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK designation, vehicles must achieve an “Acceptable” rating in this test, while a “Good” rating (their highest) is required for the TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation. Also required for the TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation is that the vehicle achieve a “Good” rating in the Small Overlap front impact test and their updated side impact tests.    

Beyond impact tests, vehicles must also achieve “Acceptable” or “Good” ratings in pedestrian front crash prevention, which tests the automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection system. The Pathfinder scored a “Good” in this test as well. Finally, the vehicle must have its headlights rated as “Acceptable” or “Good,” and the Pathfinder excelled here, too. The IIHS also assessed how well a child seat could be installed using the LATCH system, in which the Pathfinder scored a Good+. 

Every Pathfinder comes standard with the Nissan Safety Shield® 360 system, which includes: 

• Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection 
• Lane Departure Warning 
• Blind Spot Warning  
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert 
• Rear Automatic Braking 
• High Beam Assist 

The model also comes standard with the class-exclusive Intelligent Forward Collision Warning system and ProPilot Assist, which includes Intelligent Cruise Control and Steering Assist systems to help stay within a lane.  SL and Platinum models integrate the intelligent Cruise Control and the navigation system so that the vehicle can reduce speed if tight turns are ahead. 

“IIHS continues to raise the bar, and Pathfinder continues to meet it. Earning the top rating four years in a row solidifies Pathfinder’s reputation as a safe and dependable SUV for families,” said Vinay Shahani, Senior Vice President of U.S. Marketing and Sales, Nissan Americas. “This award recognizes our commitment to engineering vehicles that perform when it matters most.” 

IIHS tests what you can’t, and their tests show that the 2025 Nissan Pathfinder excels in providing the safety you desire for your family.  Visit Dick Smith Nissan of Columbia to explore the Pathfinder and evaluate it via your own criteria on a test drive.