Safety First: Vehicles With the Highest Crash-Test Ratings This Year

When you are choosing a vehicle to purchase, you may consider things like performance and style. Safety is often an overlooked consideration. Consumers should consider safety in a number of respects when they are making a purchasing decision. First, purchasers should be aware of whether a specific brand or vehicle has a history of recalls. Second, they should also know how the car will respond in the event of an accident. The right car can literally save your life, while the wrong car can make bad injuries far worse.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety both conduct their own crash tests for every model year of a car. They will assign a rating in terms of stars. The highest rating that NHTSA can give a vehicle is five stars. The IIHS designates the best-performing vehicles as Top Safety Pick+.

There is often overlap between the ratings, but they can diverge at times. Three stars represent an average risk in a crash. When a car obtains a five-star rating, it means that there is a 10% chance or less that occupants will be seriously hurt in an accident.

What Crash Tests Do NHTSA and the IIHS Perform?

Both NHTSA and the IIHS will test numerous types of crashes to see how the vehicle performs. They may perform the following tests:

• Frontal: Simulating head-on collisions, when a car hits a barrier, either in whole or part
• Side impact: Simulating a T-bone crash that could occur when one driver runs a red light or stop sign
• Rear impact: Testing how a vehicle responds when it is struck from behind; crashes that can lead to whiplash injuries
• Rollover: Judging how likely a vehicle is to roll over under certain circumstances, which is the most dangerous type of crash

In 2026, these vehicles received top safety ratings from both NHTSA and IIHS::

• Kia K4
• Toyota Prius
• Honda HR-V
• Kia Sportage
• Mazda CX-30
• Mazda CX-50
• Subaru Forester
• Hyundai Sonata
• Toyota Camry
• Genesis G80
• Hyundai Ioniq 9
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Kia EV9
• Kia Sorento
• Mazda CX-70
• Mazda CX-90
• Nissan Murano
• Genesis GV70
• Genesis GV80
• Infiniti QX60
• Tesla Cybertruck

This listing is spread out among all categories of vehicles. For example, nine midsize sedans received top ratings from both the IIHS and NHTSA.

What Makes a Car Perform Well or Poorly in Crash Safety Tests?

Typically, subcompact cars will have the highest fatality rates in accidents. There will be a disproportionate amount of force released on these cars when they are involved in accidents with larger vehicles. In addition, certain large vehicles are designed in an unsafe manner, which raises the risks of a crash. For example, the Ford Expedition receives low crash test ratings because the design leaves drivers unable to handle road curves as effectively.

At the same time, design and structural deficiencies can cause a certain vehicle to become a danger in the event of a crash. Cars may perform poorly on crash tests for the following reasons:

• The crumple zones may be too stiff, causing more impact to reach passengers in the cabin.
• Force can be transmitted to other parts of the car outside of the crumple zones
• The manufacturer may have prioritized other factors over performance
• The manufacturer has not yet updated a current model for newer safety standards
• There is weakness in specific body regions of the vehicle

A Poor Safety Rating May Not Always Be a Vehicular Defect

When you have been injured in a car accident, there may be multiple parties who could be to blame. Of course, you will first look to the driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident to pay your damages. The design of the car could be an issue in the liability determination. A car with a low crash safety rating is not automatically defective. However, a low safety score is not evidence in itself of a defect. It could just mean that the car is less safe measured in terms of the most current standards. It is usually up to consumers to make their own choices based on a number of factors, including the safety of the vehicle.

When you hire a Vancouver car accident attorney for your case, they will review all of the factors involved in the crash. This includes both driver behavior and the safety of the vehicle itself. They will look to file a claim or lawsuit against all responsible parties, while defending you from any allegations that you were to blame for the accident.

Contact a Vancouver Car Accident Law Firm to Discuss Your Case

After a car accident, the steps you take can have a lasting impact on your health, your recovery, and your ability to move forward. The Vancouver car accident attorneys at Schauermann Thayer help clients understand their options, investigate collisions, gather evidence, communicate with insurance companies, and navigate the legal process from start to finish. If you were injured in a crash, contact our Vancouver car accident lawyers online or by calling us at (360) 695-4244.