Under $50,000 · IIHS data updated 2026-09-03

Safest Cars and SUVs Under $50,000 in 2026

Fifty thousand dollars is where entry-luxury SUVs and the top mainstream three-row models meet. This page ranks every current model with a base MSRP under $50,000 by the same published score used across the site.

See the ranking

The safest vehicle under $50,000 in our current 2026 ranking is the 2026 Honda Passport, scoring 96.8/100 with an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award. It leads 94 under $50,000 with complete IIHS records; 3 more are still missing at least one test and are listed separately below.

All current under $50,000 ranked by safety

Equal scores share a rank. The score is 55% primary IIHS tests, 25% selected occupant-protection details, 10% pedestrian front crash prevention, and 10% class context. Missing evidence never counts as passing.

Rank	Vehicle	Class	IIHS award	Rear restraints	Starts at	Score
#1	2026 Honda Passport	Midsize SUVs	TSP+	Good	~$44,750	96.8
#1	2026 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport	Midsize SUVs	TSP	Good	~$38,300	96.8
#3	2026 Mercedes-Benz GLC	Midsize luxury SUVs	TSP	Acceptable	~$49,550	96.1
#4	2026 Ford Mustang Mach E	Midsize SUVs	TSP	Good	~$37,795	95.6
#4	2026 Mazda CX 5	Small SUVs	TSP+	Good	~$29,990	95.6
Advertisement
#6	2026 Lexus NX	Midsize luxury SUVs	TSP+	Acceptable	~$44,175	94.8
#7	2026 Genesis GV70	Midsize luxury SUVs	TSP+	Good	~$47,985	94.7
#7	2026 Mercedes-Benz C Class	Midsize luxury cars	TSP	Good	~$49,650	94.7
#9	2026 Honda Accord	Midsize cars	TSP	Good	~$28,395	94.4
#10	2026 Ford Explorer	Midsize SUVs	TSP	Acceptable	~$38,465	94.3
#10	2026 Mazda CX 70	Midsize SUVs	TSP+	Good	~$42,250	94.3
#10	2026 Mazda CX 90	Midsize SUVs	TSP+	Good	~$39,300	94.3
#10	2026 Subaru Forester	Small SUVs	TSP+	Good	~$29,995	94.3
#10	2026 Subaru Outback	Midsize SUVs	TSP+	Acceptable	~$34,995	94.3
#10	2026 Volkswagen Atlas	Midsize SUVs	TSP	Acceptable	~$39,310	94.3
#16	2026 Hyundai Elantra	Small cars	TSP	Good	~$22,625	94.1
#17	2026 Toyota Tundra	Large pickups	TSP	Good	~$41,260	94.0
#18	2026 Buick Enclave	Midsize SUVs	TSP	Acceptable	~$46,400	93.1
#18	2026 Hyundai IONIQ 5	Small SUVs	TSP+	Good	~$35,000	93.1
#18	2026 Hyundai Tucson	Small SUVs	TSP+	Acceptable	~$29,450	93.1
#18	2026 Kia Sportage	Small SUVs	TSP+	Acceptable	~$28,690	93.1
#18	2026 Subaru Ascent	Midsize SUVs	TSP+	Acceptable	~$40,795	93.1
#23	2026 Mazda CX 70 PHEV	Midsize SUVs	TSP+	Good	~$44,250	92.9
#23	2026 Nissan Murano	Midsize SUVs	TSP+	Good	~$41,670	92.9
#25	2026 Hyundai Santa Fe	Midsize SUVs	TSP+	Acceptable	~$34,800	92.3
#26	2026 Hyundai Kona	Small SUVs	TSP+	Acceptable	~$25,500	91.7
#26	2026 Tesla Model 3	Midsize luxury cars	—	Good	~$36,990	91.7
#28	2026 Toyota Grand Highlander	Midsize SUVs	—	Good	~$41,360	91.3
#29	2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid	Small cars	TSP+	Acceptable	~$33,995	91.0
#30	2026 BMW X1	Small SUVs	TSP+	Acceptable	~$43,200	90.6
#30	2026 Mazda CX 30	Small SUVs	TSP+	Acceptable	~$25,975	90.6
#30	2026 Mazda CX 50	Small SUVs	TSP+	Acceptable	~$29,900	90.6
#30	2026 Volvo XC60	Midsize luxury SUVs	—	Good	~$49,700	90.6
#34	2026 Toyota Camry	Midsize cars	TSP+	Acceptable	~$29,100	89.9
#35	2026 Nissan Sentra	Small cars	TSP+	Acceptable	~$22,600	89.8
#36	2026 Kia K4	Small cars	TSP+	Good	~$22,290	89.6
#37	2026 Chevrolet Blazer EV	Midsize SUVs	—	Good	~$44,700	89.4
#37	2026 Hyundai Sonata	Midsize cars	TSP+	Acceptable	~$27,450	89.4
#39	2026 Hyundai Palisade	Midsize SUVs	TSP+	Marginal	~$38,935	89.3
#40	2026 Honda HR V	Small SUVs	TSP+	Acceptable	~$26,200	89.2
#40	2026 Nissan Pathfinder	Midsize SUVs	TSP+	Acceptable	~$39,045	89.2
#42	2026 Honda Civic	Small cars	TSP	Acceptable	~$27,895	89.1
#43	2026 Toyota Prius	Small cars	TSP+	Acceptable	~$28,550	89.0
#44	2026 Mazda 3	Small cars	TSP+	Acceptable	~$25,650	88.5
#44	2026 Mazda 3	Small cars	TSP+	Acceptable	~$24,650	88.5
#46	2026 Kia Sorento	Midsize SUVs	TSP+	Marginal	~$32,390	87.9
#47	2026 Honda Prologue	Midsize SUVs	—	Acceptable	~$39,900	86.9
#48	2026 Nissan Rogue	Small SUVs	—	Acceptable	~$29,090	86.5
#49	2026 Chevrolet Equinox	Small SUVs	—	Acceptable	~$28,800	85.8
#50	2026 Nissan Leaf	Small cars	—	Acceptable	~$29,990	85.6
#51	2026 Honda Pilot	Midsize SUVs	—	Marginal	~$42,195	85.2
#52	2026 Chevrolet Traverse	Midsize SUVs	—	Marginal	~$42,695	83.9
#52	2026 GMC Acadia	Midsize SUVs	—	Marginal	~$43,700	83.9
#54	2026 Acura ADX	Small SUVs	—	Marginal	~$35,000	81.5
#55	2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz	Small pickups	—	Acceptable	~$29,750	81.2
#56	2026 Honda Civic	Small cars	—	Marginal	~$24,595	80.0
#57	2026 Audi A3	Midsize luxury cars	—	Good	~$40,100	79.7
#58	2026 Toyota Corolla Cross	Small SUVs	—	Marginal	~$24,635	78.8
#59	2026 Jeep Gladiator	Small pickups	—	Good	~$39,820	78.3
#60	2026 Acura Integra	Small cars	—	Marginal	~$33,400	78.0
#61	2026 Ford Bronco	Midsize SUVs	—	Good	~$40,795	77.8
#62	2026 Subaru Solterra	Small SUVs	—	Acceptable	~$38,495	77.5
#62	2026 Subaru Trailseeker	Small SUVs	—	Acceptable	~$39,995	77.5
#62	2026 Toyota Bz	Small SUVs	—	Acceptable	~$34,900	77.5
#62	2026 Toyota Bz Woodland	Small SUVs	—	Acceptable	~$45,300	77.5
#66	2026 Jeep Wrangler	Midsize SUVs	—	Good	~$36,035	77.3
#67	2026 Toyota Corolla	Small cars	—	Marginal	~$22,725	74.9
#68	2026 Nissan Frontier	Small pickups	—	Acceptable	~$33,550	74.8
#69	2026 Toyota Highlander	Midsize SUVs	—	Marginal	~$40,000	74.4
#69	2026 Toyota Sienna	Minivans	—	Poor	~$41,320	74.4
#71	2026 Ford Maverick	Small pickups	—	Marginal	~$27,145	74.2
#72	2026 Chrysler Pacifica	Minivans	—	Acceptable	~$44,445	73.9
#72	2026 Honda Odyssey	Minivans	—	Acceptable	~$42,795	73.9
#74	2026 Subaru Crosstrek	Small cars	—	Marginal	~$26,995	73.6
#74	2026 Subaru Impreza	Small cars	—	Marginal	~$26,595	73.6
#76	2026 Toyota Tacoma	Small pickups	—	Poor	~$34,205	72.8
#77	2026 Lexus RX	Midsize luxury SUVs	—	Poor	~$49,725	72.1
#78	2026 Volkswagen Tiguan	Midsize SUVs	—	Poor	~$30,805	70.3
#79	2026 Kia K4	Small cars	—	Marginal	~$24,890	69.8
#80	2026 Kia EV6	Small SUVs	—	Poor	~$37,900	69.3
#81	2026 Ford Bronco Sport	Small SUVs	—	Marginal	~$31,845	69.1
#82	2026 Nissan Kicks	Small SUVs	—	Marginal	~$22,730	68.2
#83	2026 Subaru WRX	Small cars	—	Marginal	~$32,495	67.0
#84	2026 Honda CR V	Small SUVs	—	Poor	~$30,920	66.6
#85	2026 Buick Envista	Small SUVs	—	Good	~$26,495	63.7
#85	2026 Chevrolet Trax	Small SUVs	—	Good	~$21,700	63.7
#87	2026 Ram 1500	Large pickups	—	Poor	~$44,775	62.5
#88	2026 Kia Seltos	Small SUVs	—	Acceptable	~$23,790	61.5
#89	2026 Volkswagen Taos	Small SUVs	—	Acceptable	~$26,500	61.2
#90	2026 Ford F 150	Large pickups	—	Poor	~$46,730	57.5
#91	2026 Jeep Compass	Small SUVs	—	Good	~$29,550	54.1
#92	2026 Honda Ridgeline	Small pickups	—	Marginal	~$40,595	51.2
#93	2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500	Large pickups	—	Marginal	~$45,000	40.5
#94	2026 Nissan Altima	Midsize cars	—	Poor	~$27,580	39.1

Rear restraints is the IIHS rear-passenger restraints and dummy-kinematics result from the updated moderate-overlap test; it is the single detail that most often separates otherwise similar vehicles. Prices are approximate base MSRPs excluding destination, last checked 2026-08.

Safest under $50,000 at every price

A vehicle appears here only if it is safer than every cheaper option, so each row is the best score available at that budget.

Your budget	Safest choice	Score	Starting around
Under $22K	2026 Chevrolet Trax	63.7	~$21,700
$22K–$22K	2026 Kia K4	89.6	~$22,290
$22K–$22K	2026 Nissan Sentra	89.8	~$22,600
$22K–$28K	2026 Hyundai Elantra	94.1	~$22,625
$28K–$29K	2026 Honda Accord	94.4	~$28,395
$29K–$38K	2026 Mazda CX 5	95.6	~$29,990
$38K+	2026 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport	96.8	~$38,300

3 current under $50,000 still waiting on complete IIHS results

These vehicles are listed so you can see what has been tested. A missing result is never treated as a pass or a fail, so they are not ranked.

Vehicle	Primary tests reported	Detail results reported	IIHS award
2026 Ford Escape	4/4	4/4	—
2026 Ford Ranger	4/4	4/4	—
2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee L	2/4	3/4	—

What the class context means

Prices are approximate base-trim MSRPs excluding destination charges and were last checked on the date shown below the table.

Every vehicle on this page is scored with the same published formula as the main ranking. The full method, the exact weights, and the missing-evidence rules are on the methodology page.

Questions people ask

What is the safest car under $50,000 in 2026?

The 2026 Honda Passport leads our current ranking of under $50,000 with a score of 96.8/100 from published IIHS tests and a Top Safety Pick+ award. 94 under $50,000 have complete records; ties share a rank.

Do you need to spend $50,000 for the safest car?

No. The safest-at-every-price table on the main ranking shows the exact price points where a higher score becomes available. Above roughly $50,000 the gains are small.

Are prices current?

Prices are approximate base MSRPs and are rechecked periodically; the date is shown under the table. Confirm current pricing with a dealer.

Keep comparing

Other rankings by type: Small SUVs · Midsize SUVs · Large SUVs · Luxury SUVs · Sedans · Compact cars · Pickup trucks · Electric vehicles · Hybrids · Under $30,000 · Under $40,000 · Top Safety Pick winners · Teen drivers · Lowest-rated