South Korean automaking giant Hyundai Motor Group said Thursday it has earned the most Top Safety Pick awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Hyundai Motor Co., Hyundai's independent brand Genesis and affiliate Kia Corp. received 12 Top Safety Pick (TSP) and five Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) ratings from the IIHS in its latest round of crash-testing evaluations, a Hyundai spokesman said.

Hyundai's Palisade SUV and Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle, Kia's K5 sedan and Genesis's G70 and G90 sedan received the TSP+ awards. The 12 TSP awards winners include Hyundai's Tucson and Kona SUV and Kia's Telluride and Sorento SUV.

This year, 49 models won the TSP+ awards and 41 garnered the TSP honors, bringing the total number of IIHS award winners to 90, up from last year's 64, IIHS said in a statement.

"With these awards, we want to make it easy for consumers to find vehicles that provide good protection in crashes, sufficient lighting and effective front crash protection," IIHS President David Harkey said in the statement.

Manufacturers have stepped up to meet the challenge, and the list of great options has grown to an impressive size this year, he said.

Both awards require good ratings in all six IIHS crashworthiness tests -- driver-and passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints. Award winners must be available with front crash prevention that earns an advanced rating in both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations, the statement said.

Volvo topped others to earn nine TSP+ awards. General Motors Co. earned one TSP award and one TSP+ award, and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. didn't earn any awards, it said. (Yonhap)