The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has handed out its annual Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards to over 61 car models. Most of the awardees are Japanese and German automobile manufacturers. Fiat Chrysler is the lone U.S. carmaker that received recognition from the road safety organization.

IIHS started handing out the Top Safety Pick recognition in 2006. The Top Safety Pick+ only came about in 2012 to recognize vehicles with higher levels of safety. Out of the 61, 48 were awarded with Top Safety Pick+. The other 13 qualified for the Top Safety Pick award.

"We asked auto manufacturers to do more this year to qualify for our safety awards, and they delivered," says IIHS president Adrian Lund. "For the first time, a good rating in the challenging small overlap front crash test is a requirement to win, in addition to an available front crash prevention system. How that system rates determines whether a vehicle will earn TOP SAFETY PICK+ or TOP SAFETY PICK."

The minimum requirements to both Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ are moderate overlap front, roof strength, side, head restraint tests and small overlap front. The front crash prevention system, which comes as either standard or optional depending on the manufacturer, also gets factored.

However, the "plus" recognition, which was given to 48 models, only applies to automobiles with advanced-rated or superior-rated front crash prevention systems  with automatic braking capabilities. Qualified vehicles also need to be able to slow down or come to a stop without the driver intervening before a target gets hit. This is tested on speeds of 12 mph and 25 mph.

The Top Safety Pick, on the other hand, is handed out to models whose front crash prevention systems are basic-rated. All that is required of them is to issue a warning when about to hit a target.

Going with this year's theme, "small overlap crash protection, front crash prevention key to 2016 awards," the 2016 winners are mostly models with improved autobrake features and crash protection, help mitigate or prevent frontal crashes.

For the redesigned models with improved front crash protection, the IIHS cited the 2016 Nissan Maxima and Volkswagen Passat. Previous models of both vehicles were rated as "acceptable" in terms of crash protection. This year, however, the Maxima has been elevated to "superior" while the Passat has moved up to "advanced."

For autobrake, IIHS exemplifies Toyota for adding an autobrake system to the Avalon and RAV4, which are both rated "superior" in front crash prevention.

Toyota sits atop other manufacturers in terms of the number of vehicle models that received awards. Nine of Toyota's vehicles were awarded with Top Safety Pick+. Honda followed with eight Top Safety Pick+ and one Top Safety Pick. Volkswagen and Audi each have seven Top Safe Pick+ while Subaru grabbed six. Fiat Chrysler got two Top Safety Pick+ with the Chrysler 200, the only domestic model that qualified, and the Fiat 500X.

"Ask for autobrake and forward collision warning features when you're out shopping for a new vehicle," Lund advises. "Look for good ratings in IIHS evaluations and at least 4 of 5 stars from NHTSA. And remember that larger, heavier vehicles offer the best protection in a crash."

Below is an IIHS video for the 2016 Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards.