Most pickup trucks have failed to qualify for a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety after being subjected to extensive crash testing and safety evaluations. To date, only the Honda Ridgeline and Ram 1500 have earned the coveted award, with the latter picking up the highest Top Safety Pick Plus award. Now, the 2020 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab can be added to that list, making it only the third pickup to secure a Top Safety Pick award – but only when it's equipped with specific headlights.

The Tacoma Double Cab earns the award only when equipped with LED reflector headlights, which are a new option for the 2020 model year and were rated 'good' by the IIHS. Its standard halogen headlights, on the other hand, only earn a marginal rating due to their lackluster visibility.

The Tacoma Double Cab earned "good" ratings in five crashworthiness evaluations. However, an "acceptable" rating in the passenger-side small overlap crash test prevented the pickup from being awarded the highest Top Safety Pick+. In this test, structural intrusion into the vehicle's footwell increased the risk of injury to the right lower leg and foot.

However, the IIHS awarded the Tacoma Double Cab with a "superior" rating for its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, which avoided collisions with a fixed object representing the rear of another vehicle in tests at 12 and 25 mph. The pickup has not yet been tested for pedestrian front crash prevention.

As well as the optional LED reflector headlights, all 2020 Toyota Tacoma models feature a new grille design, while all trims apart from the SR include an eight-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa, and Android Auto support. Engine options include a 2.7 four-cylinder with 159 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque and a 3.5-liter V6 producing 278 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque. Both powerplants are mated to a six-speed automatic as standard and the V6 can also be paired with a six-speed manual.