Five car models made by South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. and its sister company Kia Motors Corp. have been named the safest cars in a US crash test, the companies said. 

In a test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to determine the safety of vehicles in crashes, Hyundai's Santa Fe sport-utility vehicle and independent brand Genesis G80 and G90 sedans, as well as Kia's Optima (or K5) and Cadenza (or K7) sedans earned the highest rating - the 2017 Top Safety Pick+. 

To qualify for 2017 TSP+, a vehicle must earn good ratings in five crash tests -- small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints. It must also achieve an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention and an acceptable or good headlight rating, according to the IIHS webpage.

IIHS has conducted tests to see how well a vehicle protects its occupants and rated vehicles for front crash prevention, systems that warn the driver or brake automatically to avoid or mitigate a front collision, it said.

Six other models by the two Korean carmakers qualified for 2017 Top Safety Pick. They are Hyundai's Sonata sedan, Tucson and Santa Fe Sport SUV and Kia's Sportage and Sorento SUVs and the Sedona (or Carnival) minivan, the webpage showed.

Cars getting the 2017 TSP, must earn good ratings in the five crash tests as well as an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention. (Yonhap)