Safest Car Brands of 2026

Use the scorecard to compare your shortlist, then open a brand to check the exact model year, build date and equipment restrictions. Records can include separately tested variants; award counts alone do not measure the whole lineup.

How we calculate the comparison

A simple average gives a niche model as much influence as a high-volume family SUV. Weighting by recent model sales answers a narrower question: how do today’s rated designs compare using that sales mix? A high score covering 20% of sales tells you less about the whole brand than a similar score covering 95%.

Current ratings, weighted by January–June 2026 U.S. sales. The mean is the sum of each current score × its model’s sales, divided by sales with complete, compatible scores. High-volume models therefore count more. This changes brand aggregation only; individual vehicle scores and ranks are unchanged.

A range shows the possible mix of separately rated variants when their sales split is unpublished. We count a combined sales total once. Unmatched models, unresolved body styles and incomplete scores are excluded from the mean and reduce its sales coverage. Do not compare a brand covering a small slice of sales with one covering nearly its whole lineup as though the evidence were equal.

The TSP+ sales-mix proxy divides sales mapped to current TSP+ records by all reported brand sales. A range reflects award differences within mapped variants. Unmatched sales add nothing to this proxy; they are not rated failures. Current model years, build dates and required equipment still apply: this is a sales-mix comparison of current designs, not the percentage of vehicles delivered in the first half that actually qualified for an award. It is not a death-risk estimate.

We average the underlying scores, not ordinal rank positions: moving from rank 10 to 20 need not represent the same score difference as moving from 20 to 30. Brand vehicle-class mixes still affect the average. For a shopping decision, compare models in the size and price range you actually need using our individual vehicle ranking.

Subaru illustrates why the sales split matters

Crosstrek’s gasoline and hybrid versions are separate IIHS records, but Subaru reports a combined Crosstrek sales total. We use that total once and show the range implied by those variants. We do not assume every Crosstrek sale was a hybrid. The Subaru breakdown shows the exact weights and current model results.

Frequently asked questions

Why weight brand safety by sales?

Sales weighting gives a popular model more influence than a low-volume model. Our brand mean applies January–June 2026 U.S. model sales to current safety scores, counting each sales bucket once. Individual vehicle scores do not change.

Why do some brands have a score range?

Manufacturers sometimes report one sales total for variants with different crash-test results. Without a verified sales split, we calculate the lowest and highest weighted scores possible among the mapped variants. These are sensitivity bounds, not confidence intervals.

Does a higher brand score mean lower real-world death risk?

No. This is a comparison of current crash-test scores using a sales mix. Models differ in size and use, and incomplete test or sales evidence limits coverage. Actual driver death rates come from a separate study of older vehicles.

Why is a sales-weighted score unavailable for some brands?

We withhold the result when comparable U.S. model sales are unverified or no sales bucket has complete compatible scoring evidence. We do not replace missing sales with a default weight.