As an automaker, GMC is known for offering a wide range of options for drivers interested in a truck or SUV. While solid performance and stylish designs are all well and good, what really makes their vehicles stand out for me is the impressive selection of safety features they come with. Anyone interested in a GMC Terrain for sale these days will quickly discover that the 2026 Terrain comes with more than 16 standard safety and driver assistance technologies designed to make this small SUV safer than ever before. I want to highlight eight of those features that really stand out to me for the way they can enhance one’s drive and keep everyone safer on the road.
Safety Feature #1 – Forward Collision Alert
I’ll admit that some of these safety features aren’t necessarily revolutionary these days, but I still appreciate seeing them, and even more so when they’re standard on a vehicle (which, as a reminder, all of these features are). I’m starting here with one of my favorite pieces of driver assistance tech out there: the Forward Collision Alert.
Simply put, this system utilizes a combination of cameras and sensors to monitor the vehicle ahead of you and detect when it begins to brake. The system provides a warning to alert you to the risk of a potential crash, but it can also warn you if you appear to be tailgating the vehicle ahead of you. Safe driving is all about being able to react to what happens around you, and this can give you more reaction time to avoid a collision, which is perfect.
Safety Feature #2 – Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking
One of the main reasons I prefer the Forward Collision Alert over many other systems is that it provides a warning without taking over control of the vehicle. Some folks struggle with more active safety systems, especially when driving a vehicle with them for the first time. That being said, systems like Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking can make a significant difference in supporting you when you’re trying to avoid a crash. Standard Automatic Emergency Braking from GMC works at speeds below 50 mph, whereas the Enhanced system functions even at highway speeds. When a potential crash is detected, this system enhances braking power for you and can even apply hard braking to help you avoid an impact.
Safety Feature #3 – Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking
Highway collisions are serious, and systems that help you avoid them are great, but striking someone not in a vehicle can be absolutely catastrophic for that person. SUVs are particularly hazardous to pedestrians and bicyclists in collisions. This Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking system can detect people walking or riding a bike ahead of you to warn you about them, then enhance your braking or apply brakes automatically to help you avoid striking another person. Any system that helps to keep others safe is a win in my book.
Safety Feature #4 – Blind Zone Steering Assist
Blind Zone Steering Assist is another feature I love because it takes things a step further than many other systems out there. Blind zone warning or alert systems are becoming increasingly common these days, alerting you when a vehicle is positioned in a location where you might not be able to see it. With the Terrain’s standard Blind Zone Steering Assist, however, not only will it warn you about someone, but if you try to change lanes into another person, it can provide a brief turn of the steering wheel against you to help keep you in your lane. Few things are worse than being surprised by someone hiding in your blind spot; something that helps prevent that situation from becoming a disaster is great.
Safety Feature #5 – Safety Alert Seat
Warnings and alerts provided by other systems typically appear as an auditory ding, often accompanied by a visual warning on the driver’s display or side mirror. With GMC’s Safety Alert Seat, however, this is joined by vibration pulses in the driver’s seat to provide additional warnings. Best of all, these are directional, so if someone is lurking in your driver’s side blind spot and you’re about to merge into them, it can vibrate on the left side of your seat. This adds an extra layer of warning, providing you with more reaction time to avoid a potential crash.
Safety Feature #6 – Rear Cross Traffic Braking
Rear Cross Traffic Braking uses rear radar to detect vehicles approaching from the sides as you’re backing up. This is especially useful if you often back out of a driveway at your home, but it also works wonders in parking lots. Not only will it alert you to someone who’s about to cross behind you, but it can also apply the brakes automatically to help you avoid ending up in a crash. This is particularly beneficial for anyone with mobility issues that make fully turning your head difficult, as checking behind you becomes more challenging in that instance.
Safety Feature #7 – Side Bicyclist Alert
Although not as flashy as some other safety systems, Side Bicyclist Alert makes a significant difference in helping to protect others, particularly in busy cities. This system uses radar in the rear corners of the Terrain to detect bicyclists approaching from the rear that you might not see. It provides a warning to let you know they’re there and approaching. Best of all, it functions both when you’re driving and also when you’re parked to warn you so you don’t open your door into a bicyclist as you’re getting out. This is actually a considerable danger for cyclists, so having a system to help keep them safer is wonderful to see.
Safety Feature #8 – Teen Driver System
Teen Driver isn’t for everyone, but if you have a teen who’s just getting started with driving (or who will soon), then it’s hard to beat. The Teen Driver system helps encourage safe habits by implementing features such as limiting the audio system’s volume, setting a maximum speed of 85 mph, providing a speed warning when driving faster than 40 mph, and preventing the vehicle from shifting out of park unless passengers have their seatbelts fastened. There’s also an in-vehicle report card that you can check to see how your teen driver is doing when you’re not in the Terrain with them. Best of all, you tie all of this to a particular key fob, so these systems only activate when that key is in use, allowing you to set them specifically for your young driver.
Great to See GMC Taking Safety Tech Further
As I mentioned at the beginning, the 2026 Terrain comes equipped with more than 16 standard safety features, so I’ve only covered about half of them. More great technologies like a High Definition Rear Vision Camera, Rear Park Assist, and Adaptive Cruise Control can make your daily drive safer and a lot less stressful, plus they’re great for long road trips and just about anything else you plan on doing in your vehicle.
There are plenty of other available safety systems, too, like an HD Surround Vision system that gives you a virtual bird’s eye view around the Terrain at low speeds to make maneuvering into tight spots or avoiding objects left in your driveway easier. Just remember that none of these features replace safe, careful driving; they can provide you with warnings and enhance your reactions, but you still need to pay attention and be safe every moment you’re behind the wheel.
