There’s no single “safest car” in the United States, but a clear tier of vehicles consistently earns the highest safety marks. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awards its Top Safety Pick+ designation to models that ace every crash test, come with effective automatic emergency braking, and have headlights that properly illuminate the road. For the 2024 model year, dozens of vehicles earned this top rating across every size class, from compact sedans to large SUVs. Your safest choice depends on what size vehicle fits your life, because size and weight still matter enormously in a real collision.
How Safety Ratings Work
The IIHS runs several crash tests that simulate different collision types: front overlap on the driver side, front overlap on the passenger side, side impact, and roof strength. A vehicle has to score “Good” (the highest mark) across all of these to qualify for any award. But crash performance alone isn’t enough. The Top Safety Pick+ award also requires effective crash-avoidance technology and headlights rated Good or Acceptable, meaning they illuminate at least 100 meters on a straight road and 60 to 70 meters through curves without producing dangerous glare for oncoming drivers.
The IIHS periodically tightens its criteria. Recently, it updated scoring for its moderate overlap front crash test to better evaluate how well the rear passenger is protected, not just the driver. That change caused eight previously high-rated vehicles to receive downgrades. A car that earned top marks last year might not keep them this year, which is why checking the current ratings matters more than relying on a brand’s reputation.
Top-Rated Models for 2024
Among small cars, the 2024-25 Acura Integra and 2025 Honda Civic sedan both earned Top Safety Pick+. In the midsize category, the 2024-25 Honda Accord carries the same distinction. The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6, an all-electric sedan, also made the top tier. For families shopping midsize luxury SUVs, the 2024 Volvo XC90 and its plug-in hybrid variant both earned Top Safety Pick+.
These aren’t the only winners. The full list spans nearly every vehicle category, from subcompact SUVs to full-size trucks. The point isn’t to memorize every model but to understand that safety leadership is spread across brands and price points. You don’t need to spend luxury money to get top-tier crash protection.
Why Vehicle Size Still Matters
The IIHS is transparent about a critical caveat: a small car with top safety ratings might not protect its occupants as well as a larger vehicle that didn’t earn an award at all. The physics are straightforward. In a collision between two vehicles, the heavier one transfers more force to the lighter one. A compact sedan rated Good in every crash test is still at a disadvantage if it collides with a full-size SUV that scored slightly lower.
This doesn’t mean small cars are unsafe. It means that if you’re choosing between two vehicles and safety is your primary concern, the larger one offers a meaningful advantage, all else being equal. For buyers who need a smaller car for budget or practical reasons, sticking with a Top Safety Pick+ model narrows the gap considerably.
The Technology That Prevents Crashes
Modern safety isn’t just about surviving a crash. It’s about avoiding one. Automatic emergency braking (AEB) is now standard on most new vehicles, and the data on its effectiveness is substantial. Low-speed AEB reduces front-to-rear crash rates by about 43% and cuts injury rates in those crashes by 45%. Across a broader range of studies, the technology reduces rear-end collisions by 25% to 50%.
Pedestrian detection adds another layer. Systems with a wide sensor field of view prevent roughly 44% of pedestrian fatalities and 33% of severe pedestrian injuries. These aren’t theoretical projections. They’re drawn from real-world accident databases. When the IIHS evaluates vehicles for its top awards, AEB performance in both vehicle-to-vehicle and pedestrian scenarios is a required component. A car that aces every crash test but has mediocre automatic braking won’t earn Top Safety Pick+.
Real-World Death Rates Tell a Different Story
Crash test ratings measure how a vehicle performs in controlled conditions. Real-world death rates measure what actually happens on the road, and the two don’t always align perfectly. The IIHS tracks driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, broken down by make and model. For 2020-equivalent models tracked from 2018 to 2021, four models had driver death rates of zero, meaning no driver fatalities were recorded during the study period.
Among models with enough data to be statistically meaningful, the Toyota Camry Hybrid had a driver death rate of 19 per million registered vehicle years, and the Ford Fusion Hybrid came in at 25. For context, rates vary wildly by vehicle type. The lowest death rate for other drivers (people killed in crashes caused by a specific vehicle) was 6, recorded by the Buick Encore with all-wheel drive. The highest was 189, from the Ram 3500 Crew Cab long bed pickup. Hybrids and midsize sedans tend to cluster at the low end of these rankings, likely because of both their design and the driving patterns of people who buy them.
Electric Vehicles and Battery Safety
One of the most common concerns about EVs is battery fire after a crash. The reality is more reassuring than the headlines suggest. The IIHS has conducted over 55 crash tests on electric vehicles since 2011 and recorded zero battery fires. That doesn’t mean the risk is nonexistent, but lithium-ion fires in crashes are far rarer than many people assume. The IIHS does take precautions during testing, monitoring battery voltage and temperature and having firefighters on site, but the results speak for themselves.
The more practical safety concern with EVs is weight. Electric vehicles are significantly heavier than their gas-powered counterparts because of their battery packs. That extra weight benefits the EV’s own occupants in a collision (heavier vehicles fare better), but it increases the risk to people in lighter vehicles they strike. As EVs become more common, this weight disparity is something safety researchers are actively watching.
Safest Used Cars for Teens
If you’re shopping for a young driver, new isn’t necessary to get strong safety protection. The IIHS maintains a list of recommended used vehicles for teens, and the requirements are specific: a curb weight above 2,750 pounds, Good ratings in five major crash tests, standard automatic emergency braking that earns at least an Advanced rating, and headlights rated Good or Acceptable.
Some standout options on the affordable end include the Nissan Sentra (2015 or newer, starting around $4,400), the Mini Countryman (2011 or newer, from about $4,600), and the Kia Soul (2015 or newer, starting near $5,100). If you can spend more, the Toyota Camry (2018 or newer, from $13,100) and Honda Civic sedan (2022 or newer, from $19,200) are on the “Best Choice” tier, meaning they meet every safety criterion the IIHS tracks. The Toyota Corolla sedan from 2017 to 2019 or 2023 and newer starts around $9,500 and also makes the top list.
For midsize options, the Subaru Crosstrek (2014 or newer, from $7,300) and Mazda 3 sedan (2020 or newer, from $13,000) offer strong crash protection at reasonable prices. These aren’t exciting picks, and that’s partly the point. Vehicles with moderate power, good visibility, and proven crash protection are exactly what safety experts recommend for inexperienced drivers.
How to Choose the Safest Car for You
Start by deciding what size vehicle you need, then look at the current Top Safety Pick+ list for that category. Pay attention to three things beyond the crash ratings: headlight quality (poor headlights are a genuine hazard on rural and unlit roads), the effectiveness of the automatic emergency braking system, and whether the vehicle has standard or optional safety features on the trim level you’re actually buying. Some models earn their safety award only with a specific trim or optional package.
If you’re comparing two models that both earned Top Safety Pick+, the real-world death rate data can be a useful tiebreaker. A vehicle with a lower driver death rate per million registered years has a track record that extends beyond the lab. And if budget is a constraint, know that many vehicles from the last five to ten years offer crash protection that rivals brand-new models, especially in the midsize sedan and small SUV categories.