The Real Cost of Your Car on the Road
Insurance claims reveal what safety ratings can't: how often real drivers crash, get hurt, hurt others, and attract thieves.
Data from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) β the insurance arm of IIHS β covering 85% of the U.S. auto insurance market. All values shown as % above or below the average for all passenger vehicles.
π How IIHS Measures Insurance Losses
HLDI collects data from insurers covering 85%+ of the U.S. market, then normalizes results so every vehicle can be compared on a level playing field.
The Formula
Claim frequency = how often claims are filed per insured vehicle year.
Claim severity = average payment per claim.
Overall losses = average cost to insure the vehicle for one year (excluding admin
costs).
Results are normalized to 100 (the all-vehicle average). A score of 200 = 2Γ average
cost, 50 = half.
The Six Coverage Types
| Coverage | What It Measures | 2022-24 Average |
|---|---|---|
| Collision | Crash damage to YOUR vehicle | $596/year |
| Property Damage (PDL) | Crash damage you cause to OTHER vehicles/property | Varies |
| MedPay | Injury claims for YOU and your passengers (tort states) | $45/year |
| PIP | Injury claims for YOU (no-fault states) | Varies |
| Bodily Injury (BIL) | Injury claims from people YOU hurt | Varies |
| Comprehensive | Theft, weather, animal strikes, vandalism | $224/year |
π― Our Road Impact Score
We combine the three most safety-relevant coverages into a single Road Impact Score for easy comparison.
(MedPay/PIP)
(Bodily Injury)
(Collision)
Lower = safer for everyone. Score of 0 = average. Negative = better than average.
π‘ Why these weights? Injury prevention matters most (40% + 35% = 75% of score). A car that rarely hurts people β whether its own occupants or others β is genuinely safer, regardless of how much collision damage it causes. Collision costs affect your wallet; injury rates affect lives.
π₯ Collision Losses β Crash Damage to Your Car
How much it costs insurers when YOUR car gets damaged in a crash. High values = expensive to repair/replace. Strongly influenced by vehicle price.
π΄ Highest Collision Losses
| Vehicle | vs Avg |
|---|---|
| Lamborghini Huracan 2dr | +715% |
| BMW M3 4dr 4WD | +483% |
| BMW M4 2dr 4WD | +449% |
| Rolls Royce Cullinan 4WD | +431% |
| BMW M8 4dr 4WD | +430% |
| Lamborghini Urus 4WD | +377% |
| Bentley Flying Spur 4WD | +373% |
| Aston Martin DBX 4WD | +361% |
| BMW M8 2dr 4WD | +343% |
| BMW 7 series 4dr | +305% |
π’ Lowest Collision Losses
| Vehicle | vs Avg |
|---|---|
| Ineos Grenadier 4WD | -77% |
| Ford F-350 4WD | -69% |
| Ford Transit cargo 4WD | -58% |
| Chevy Express 2500 cargo | -53% |
| Jeep Wrangler 2dr 4WD | -53% |
| GMC Sierra 2500 4WD | -47% |
| Ford Transit cargo | -45% |
| Ford Bronco 2dr 4WD | -45% |
| Ford F-350 SuperCab 4WD | -42% |
| Chevy Express 2500 cargo | -42% |
β οΈ Pattern: Collision losses are dominated by vehicle price. Luxury and exotic cars cost 3β8Γ more to repair. Work trucks and cargo vans are cheapest because they're built for function, not flash. This metric measures your wallet, not safety.
π¨ Damage to Others β Property & Bodily Injury
These coverages measure how much harm your vehicle does to other people and their property. This is the ethical dimension of vehicle choice.
Property Damage Liability β Worst Offenders
How much crash damage your vehicle inflicts on other vehicles and property.
| Vehicle | vs Avg | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ram 1500 Classic crew cab | +148% | Heavy truck, high frequency |
| Chevy Silverado 2500 crew cab | +102% | Very heavy, does more damage on impact |
| Ram 2500 crew cab LWB 4WD | +102% | Weight + size |
| Ram 3500 crew cab LWB 4WD | +88% | Heaviest consumer truck |
| BMW M4 2dr 4WD | +80% | High-performance + aggressive driving |
Bodily Injury Liability β Who Hurts Others Most
How often OTHER people (drivers, passengers, pedestrians) file injury claims against your vehicle.
| Vehicle | Claim Freq. |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Mirage G4 | +132% |
| Chevrolet Malibu | +119% |
| Mitsubishi Mirage | +100% |
| Nissan Sentra | +92% |
| Kia Forte | +88% |
| Mitsubishi Outlander Sport | +86% |
| Ram 1500 quad cab | +85% |
| Nissan Versa | +83% |
| Ram 2500 crew cab LWB 4WD | +75% |
| Nissan Altima | +74% |
π’ Lowest Bodily Injury Claims β Safest for Others
| Vehicle | Claim Freq. |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet Corvette convertible | -54% |
| Volvo XC40 4dr 4WD | -53% |
| Volvo XC60 4dr 4WD | -53% |
| Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid 4WD | -50% |
| Subaru Forester 4WD | -45% |
| Acura MDX 4dr | -44% |
| Volvo XC90 4dr 4WD | -44% |
| Acura MDX 4dr 4WD | -43% |
| Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrid 4WD | -42% |
| Porsche Cayenne 4WD | -42% |
π‘ Key insight: Volvo dominates the "safest for others" list across the board. Four of the ten lowest bodily injury claim rates belong to Volvo β validating their decades of safety-first engineering applies to everyone on the road, not just their own occupants.
π₯ Injury to You β MedPay & Personal Injury (PIP)
How often the driver and passengers of this vehicle file injury claims. This is the most direct measure of occupant safety in real-world driving.
π΄ Highest Injury Claims
| Vehicle | MedPay | PIP |
|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Mirage G4 | +197% | +182% |
| Mitsubishi Mirage | +147% | +87% |
| Kia Forte | +129% | +78% |
| Mitsubishi Outlander Sport | +117% | +105% |
| Nissan Sentra | +106% | +78% |
| Nissan Altima | +106% | +81% |
| Chevrolet Malibu | +104% | +80% |
| Nissan Versa | +97% | +77% |
| Hyundai Elantra | +93% | β |
| Lexus ES 300h hybrid | +148% | β |
π’ Lowest Injury Claims
| Vehicle | MedPay | PIP |
|---|---|---|
| Rivian R1T electric 4WD | -63% | -63% |
| Rivian R1S electric 4WD | -61% | -57% |
| GMC Canyon crew cab 4WD | -59% | β |
| Chevy Corvette convertible | -58% | β |
| Ford F-250 SuperCrew 4WD | -54% | β |
| Porsche 911 Carrera 2dr | β | -70% |
| GMC Sierra 2500 ext 4WD | β | -65% |
| Mercedes G-Class AMG 4WD | β | -58% |
| Volvo C40 electric 4WD | β | -54% |
| Land Rover Range Rover 4WD | β | -56% |
β οΈ The Mitsubishi Mirage G4 is the most dangerous car for its own occupants: injury claims are filed at nearly 3Γ the average rate. This is the same car with the highest driver death rate (205 per million) in the IIHS database. The Mirage weighs just 2,095 lbs β a featherweight in a nation of 5,000+ lb trucks. Budget price β budget safety.
π Best & Worst Makes
Brands that consistently appear in the best/worst lists across multiple coverages.
π’ Consistently Safest
| Make | Notable Appearances |
|---|---|
| Volvo | 4 of 10 lowest BIL, lowest PIP list |
| Rivian | #1 lowest MedPay AND PIP |
| Subaru | Forester in lowest BIL |
| Acura | MDX in two lowest BIL lists |
| Porsche | 4 of 10 lowest PDL, lowest PIP |
π΄ Consistently Worst
| Make | Notable Appearances |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi | #1 worst in PIP, MedPay, AND BIL |
| Nissan | Altima, Sentra, Versa in 3+ worst lists |
| Kia | Forte in worst PIP, MedPay, BIL |
| Ram/Dodge | Dominates worst PDL + comprehensive |
| BMW | M-series dominates worst collision + PDL |
What drives these brand differences?
| Factor | Effect |
|---|---|
| Vehicle weight | Heavier vehicles protect occupants but damage others more |
| Safety technology | AEB, lane-keeping, blind-spot monitoring reduce claim frequency |
| Driver demographics | Family-oriented vehicles attract cautious drivers; muscle cars attract aggressive ones |
| Vehicle price | Expensive cars = expensive repairs, but often driven less |
| Multi-vehicle households | Luxury/sports cars driven fewer miles = lower claim frequency |
π Patterns by Vehicle Class
IIHS data reveals systematic differences by vehicle type β not just individual models.
| Vehicle Class | Collision | PDL (Damage to Others) | Injury to You | Injury to Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station Wagons | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| Minivans | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| Small SUVs | Average | Average | Average | Average |
| Midsize SUVs | Average | Average | Below avg | Average |
| Pickups | Low freq | High (weight) | Low | Elevated |
| Sports Cars | High severity | Low freq | Varies | Varies |
| Luxury Cars | High severity | Low freq | Low freq | Low freq |
| Large 2-Door Cars | Very High | High | High | High |
β οΈ Large 2-door cars (Dodge Challenger/Charger variants) are consistently the worst across ALL coverage types. This category combines heavy weight, high performance, and aggressive driver demographics. They top the collision, PDL, injury, AND theft charts.
β What This Means For You
Insurance data reveals the real-world safety cost of every vehicle β not just crash test scores.
| Takeaway | Why |
|---|---|
| Budget cars β budget safety | Mirage, Versa, Forte are cheap to buy but their occupants file injury claims at 2-3Γ the average rate |
| Volvo/Subaru/Acura reduce harm to everyone | Consistently lowest bodily injury claims β their safety tech protects occupants AND others |
| Heavy trucks protect you but endanger others | Low occupant injury but highest PDL β physics means they inflict more damage on impact |
| EVs are quietly excellent | Rivian, Tesla, Volvo PHEV dominate lowest-injury lists. Heavy battery = protection + careful drivers |
| Muscle cars lose in every category | Challenger/Charger: highest collision, highest theft, high injury β regardless of safety features |
Find a Vehicle That's Safe For Everyone
Explore our data-driven safety rankings and related guides.
Safest Used Cars β Danger to Others β