Being Volkswagen's first electric crossover, the ID.4 is an important model, particularly in the US market. Luckily, it's off to a strong start. Not only did it outsell the Ford Mustang Mach-E the first month it went sale, but the EPA recently confirmed it's more efficient than its Ford rival. The AWD model also has a much better range than we expected.

And now Volkswagen can add another achievement to this growing list because the ID.4 has been awarded a coveted Top Safety Pick Plus award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Meeting the IIHS's strict safety standards to earn a Top Safety Pick Plus award is no easy achievement.

To qualify, vehicles must have good ratings in all six IIHS crash tests as well as good or acceptable headlights. It must also have an available crash prevention system that scores advanced or super ratings in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian crash testing.

The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 earned good ratings in all six crash tests, an acceptable rating for the standard LED headlights, and a good rating for the optional premium LED projector headlights. Equipped as standard, the Front Assist system also received a superior rating for vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention and an advanced rating for vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention.

As standard, all ID.4 SUVs come equipped with VW's IQ.Drive suite of driver assists including a lane keep assist and a steering assist for highway driving, a forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, and travel assist. In the US, the ID.4 starts at $39,995 with rear-wheel drive, while all-wheel-drive models will set you back $43,675.

In case you were wondering, the IIHS awarded the Ford Mustang Mach-E a Top Safety Pick award but it missed out on a Plus award as the LED reflectors installed on the Select and California Route 1 trims earned marginal ratings. Nevertheless, it's reassuring to know that this new wave of electric SUVs is already setting high safety standards.