Thinking about shopping for a new car? Then you’ll want to check out what vehicles are considered the safest to buy.
From small cars and sedans to SUVs and large luxury vehicles, you’ll find 62 of the 2018 models deemed safe by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Each year the safety experts at the nonprofit research and education organization determine which vehicles do the best job of protecting people in the most common kinds of crashes—front, side, rollover and rear—based on ratings in IIHS evaluations. The current list of award winners is smaller than usual because IIHS raised the bar on its test criteria, adding passenger-side crash tests and headlight ratings to their list of considerations.
No minivans, pickups or minicars earned the highest award, Top Safety Pick+, and just 15 vehicles qualified, having good-rated headlights and good or acceptable passenger-side protection in small overlap front crashes. Models from a wider range of vehicle types—47 in all— earned the second-tier award, Top Safety Pick, but no minicars made the cut in that category either.
Hyundai and Subaru lead the way
Leading the pack of manufacturers of the 15 Top Safety Pick+ vehiclesare Hyundai Motor Company, which owns the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands and has six awards, and Subaru, which has four. Mercedes-Benz has two, while Toyota, BMW and Ford Motor Company have one each.
| Small cars
Kia Forte sedan Kia Soul Subaru Impreza (4-door sedan | 4-door wagon) Subaru WRX |
Large luxury cars
BMW 5 series Genesis G80 Genesis G90 Lincoln Continental Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan |
| Midsize cars
Subaru Legacy Subaru Outback Toyota Camry |
Midsize SUVs
Hyundai Santa Fe Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Midsize luxury SUV Mercedes-Benz GLC |
The frontrunner among the 47 second-tier award winners is Toyota Motor Corporation with 10 vehicles. Hyundai is the runner-up with nine.
IIHS has awarded Top Safety Pick honors to qualifying vehicles since the 2006 model year. It adjusts the list of winners throughout the year as it evaluates new models. Learn more about the vehicles that are in the winner’s circle by watching the video above or reading the source article at iihs.org.
How to get a quote and avoid car insurance rate hikes
If you’re shopping for a new car, you’ll also need car insurance. You may want to get an auto insurance quote now or check out these helpful resources:
- Avoid car insurance rate increases with the ERIE Rate Lock® feature.1
- Get the add-on every new car needs.
An insurance professional like an Erie Insurance Agent in your community can provide you with more information about auto coverage.
