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Most people think that buying a large car means buying a safe car - and theyre right. As decades of car safety research has confirmed, traveling in a heavier vehicle greatly reduces your risk of being killed in a car crash.
According to Dr. Leonard Evans, president of the International Traffic Medicine Association and author of the widely acclaimed 1991 book, "Traffic Safety and the Driver," federal government standards that force lighter and lighter cars to populate our roads are killing Americans at an alarming rate. "CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency) forces vehicles on the American consumer that are smaller than we would otherwise choose. This increases single-vehicle fatality risk in two ways. First, for similar types of vehicles, the smaller the vehicle, the more likely it is to overturn. Rollover crashes account for about 40 percent of single-vehicle crash deaths."
"Second, the lighter my vehicle, the less it will damage or move any object it strikes. The most commonly struck object causing death is a tree. A heavier vehicle is more likely to uproot a tree and continue moving forward. This dramatically reduces occupant risk compared to a lighter vehicle being stopped on impact. And if I happen to hit a brick wall, a heavier vehicle will penetrate further into it than a lighter vehicle, similarly reducing my risk. If two 2,000-pound cars crash into each other, driver risk is about 50 percent higher than if the cars weigh 3,000 pounds each."
With that in mind, Insure.com's Safe Autos For Everyone (S.A.F.E.) Program identifies the safest in eleven categories: small cars, midsized cars, midsize/near luxury cars, large luxury cars, large family cars, minivans, small SUVs, midsize SUVs, luxury SUVs, and both large and small pickup trucks. (For full details about the program see Choose a safe new car with Insure.com's S.A.F.E. Car program.)
 Insure.com's 2007 S.A.F.E. Car designation: |
| Small Cars |
Honda Civic 4-DR w/SAB |
Toyota Corolla 4-DR |
Dodge Caliber 4-DR w/SAB |
| Midsize cars |
Subaru Legacy w/SAB |
Toyota Camry 4-DR w/SAB |
Chevrolet Malibu 4-DR w/SAB |
| Midsize/near luxury cars |
Lexus ES 350 w/SAB |
Acura TL 4-DR w/SAB |
Saab 9-5 4-DR w/SAB |
| Large luxury cars |
Acura RL 4-DR w/SAB |
Lincoln Town Car 4-DR w/SAB |
| Large family cars |
Ford Five Hundred 4-DR |
Toyota Avalon 4-DR w/SAB |
Buick Lucerne 4-DR w/SAB |
| Minivans |
Hyundai Entourage w/SAB |
Honda Odyssey w/SAB |
Kia Sedona w/SAB |
| Small SUVs |
Honda CR-V w/SAB |
Hyundai Tucson 4-DR w/SAB |
Subaru Forester 4-DR w/SAB |
| Midsize SUVs |
Acura RDX 4-DR w/SAB |
Honda Pilot 4-DR w/SAB |
Subaru B9 Tribeca 4-DR w/SAB |
| Luxury SUVs |
Mercedes M class 4-DR w/SAB |
| Small pickups |
Toyota Tacoma 4-DR |
Chevrolet Colorado 4-DR |
Note: Information on the testing of large pickup trucks for 2007 is not yet complete. An update of the S.A.F.E. awards will be issued when testing is completed.
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You might assume that cars faring best in crash tests are the largest, heaviest vehicles — perhaps the Mercedes S-600, BMW 745i, or the Rolls Royce Park Ward. You might be right.
However, IIHS and NHTSA do not test every vehicle every year, and they rarely test less-popular, expensive luxury cars (none of the three mentioned above have been tested). So, the S.A.F.E. Car list is not inclusive of all vehicles that otherwise might be eligible because the data on those vehicles is unavailable.
What is included are many of the most popular new cars on the road today. Both IIHS and NHTSA officials say they perform most of their crash tests on only the most popular vehicles due to budgetary constraints (IIHS is funded by the insurance industry and NHTSA is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation). For example, the best-selling Ford Taurus, Honda Accord, and Toyota Camry are tested almost every year.
Both organizations point out that vehicle manufacturers can pay to have their vehicles tested by their respective organizations if they so choose. |
- Vehicles in each category are selected based on how well they performed in crash tests by both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). To be awarded the Insure.com S.A.F.E. Car designation, the model must be tested by both the IIHS and NHTSA and receive ratings of:
- "Good" in the IIHS's overall frontal-offset crash test performance rating (on a scale of "Poor," Marginal," "Acceptable," and "Good").
- Five stars in NHTSA's frontal-impact crash tests and a minimum of four stars in NHTSA's side-impact crash tests (on a scale of one to five stars), meaning a 10 percent or less chance of serious injury.
- Further, because SUVs and pickup trucks are more than twice as likely to be involved in rollovers, according to NHTSA, these types of vehicles must score no lower than four stars in NHTSA's rollover resistance rating (on a scale of one to five stars), meaning a 20 percent or less chance of a rollover in a one-car accident.
Honorable Mentions are awarded to vehicles tested by both IIHS and NHTSA that receive ratings of:
"Good" or "Acceptable" in the IIHS's overall frontal-offset crash test performance rating.
A minimum of four stars in NHTSA's frontal-impact crash tests and a minimum of three stars in NHTSA's side-impact crash tests, meaning a 20 percent or less chance of a serious injury.
A minimum of three stars in NHTSA's rollover resistance rating, meaning a 30 percent or less chance of a rollover in a single-vehicle accident.
| Insure.com's 2007 Honorable Mention designation: |
| Small Cars |
Subaru Impreza 4-DR w/SAB |
Toyota Prius 4-DR w/SAB |
Chevrolet Cobalt 4-DR |
| Midsize cars |
Volkswagen Passat 4-DR w/SAB |
Volkswagen Jetta 4-DR w/SAB |
Honda Accord 4-DR w/SAB |
| Midsize/near luxury cars |
BMW 3 Series w/SAB |
Volvo S60 4-DR w/SAB |
Mercedes C class 4-DR w/SAB |
| Large luxury cars |
Cadillac DTS 4-DR w/SAB |
| Large family cars |
Hyundai Azera 4-DR w/SAB |
Chevrolet Impala 4-DR w/SAB |
Chrysler 300 4-DR |
| Minivans |
Ford Freestar |
Dodge Grand Caravan |
Nissan Quest w/SAB |
| Small SUVs |
Toyota RAV4 4-DR w/SAB |
Ford Escape 4-DR |
Saturn VUE 4-DR |
| Midsize SUVs |
Toyota FJ Cruiser 4-DR |
Ford Freestyle 4-DR |
Pontiac Torrent 4-DR |
| Luxury SUVs |
Volvo XC90 4-DR w/SAB |
| Small pickups |
Nissan Frontier 4-DR |
Ford Ranger 4-DR |
Dodge Dakota 4-DR |
Ratings in the above chart should be compared only within the same vehicle class. For example, a five-star rating for a small car is not comparable to a five-star rating for a large car.
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