IIHS data updated 2026-09-04

The safest cars you can buy in 2026

Every current vehicle scored by one published formula, with the evidence and the gaps both visible.

Highest score 2027 Tesla Model Y 98.6/100
See the full ranking How we rank
197
Current models tracked
137
With a complete IIHS record
53
Top Safety Pick+ winners
55/25/10/10
Tests, details, pedestrian braking, class

Ratings come from IIHS vehicle pages, driver death rates from Farmer (2023), theft data from HLDI, and star ratings from NHTSA. Every figure on this site links to its source.

Top-ranked vehicles right now

Ranked by the published formula. Where two vehicles score the same, the last column breaks the tie: it averages every injury measure IIHS published inside the three crash tests. Vehicles matching on both share a rank.

RankVehicleClassIIHS awardScoreInjury measures
1 2027 Tesla Model Y Midsize luxury SUVs TSP+ 98.6 100.0
2 2026 Genesis GV80 Midsize luxury SUVs TSP+ 98.6 99.38
2 2026 Lincoln Nautilus Midsize luxury SUVs TSP 98.6 99.38
4 2026 BMW X3 Midsize luxury SUVs TSP+ 97.2 100.0
5 2026 Audi Q5 Midsize luxury SUVs TSP+ 97.2 98.12
5 2026 Audi Q5 Sportback Midsize luxury SUVs TSP+ 97.2 98.12
7 2027 Kia Telluride Midsize SUVs TSP+ 96.8 100.0
7 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9 Midsize SUVs TSP+ 96.8 100.0
7 2026 Kia EV9 Midsize SUVs TSP+ 96.8 100.0
10 2026 Honda Passport Midsize SUVs TSP+ 96.8 99.38
All 137 ranked vehicles Search by make or model

Safest at every price

The best score your budget can reach

A vehicle appears here only if it is safer than every cheaper option, so each row is the most safety the money buys.

Starting priceSafest choiceClassScore
$21,700 2026 Chevrolet Trax Small SUVs 63.7
$22,290 2026 Kia K4 Small cars 89.6
$22,600 2026 Nissan Sentra Small cars 89.8
$22,625 2026 Hyundai Elantra Small cars 94.1
$28,395 2026 Honda Accord Midsize cars 94.4
$29,990 2026 Mazda CX 5 Small SUVs 95.6
$38,300 2026 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport Midsize SUVs 96.8
$39,990 2027 Tesla Model Y Midsize luxury SUVs 98.6

Approximate base MSRPs excluding destination, last checked 2026-09. Confirm current pricing with a dealer.

What are you deciding?

A car for the familyThree-row SUVs ranked on the rear-seat results that separate them. A used car181 models ranked by the death rate their drivers actually had. A car on a budgetThe safest choice at $30,000, $40,000 and $50,000. A car for a new driverThe IIHS rules for teen drivers, applied to real prices. One specific modelEvery current model, searchable, with its full IIHS record. Theft riskThe vehicles thieves take, and the ones they leave alone. Tires and wheelsWinter tire sizes, wheel offset, tire age and stopping distance, with the math shown.

Why you can check every number here

Published formulaThe weights are stated and the inputs are listed, so you can reproduce any score from the IIHS pages we link to.
Missing data stays missingA test IIHS has not run is shown as untested. It never counts as a pass, and it keeps a vehicle out of the ranking.
Ties are shown as tiesWhere the evidence does not separate two vehicles, we say so rather than inventing a winner.
Read the full method Our original research