Used car safety, rank #174 of 188
Nissan Altima Safety Rating (2021-23)
Real IIHS driver death rates for the 2021-23 Nissan Altima, a midsize car, compared with its class and with the current model.
IIHS 2026 edition Β· 2021β2024 crashes. Results apply only to the model years and drivetrain shown. Read the new release and its limits Β· Browse the older edition. Prices and reliability from older model years have not been carried forward.
The 2021-23 Nissan Altima has an IIHS driver death rate of 105 per million registered vehicle years against a midsize cars average of 67, which is 57% above the class average. That places it #174 of 188 used vehicles with a safety score of 11.3/100.
What the Nissan Altima death rate means
At 105 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, the Nissan Altima is 57% worse than the midsize cars average of 67. The 95% confidence interval is 72 to 138, entirely above the class average, so the gap is unlikely to be chance.
The other-driver death rate of 64 measures the opposite risk: how many drivers of other vehicles died in crashes with a Nissan Altima. Its 95% confidence interval is 41β87. It is no higher than the Nissan Altima's own driver death rate. Remember that death rates describe vehicles and their drivers together: IIHS adjusts for driver age and gender, but not for where or how carefully people drive. Our score weights this model's own rate at 70% and its class at 30%; see how we rank used cars.
Compared with similar used cars
The safest midsize cars in the IIHS study, by our score, with the Nissan Altima highlighted. It ranks 8 of the 9 shown; the class leader is the Toyota Camry 4WD at a death rate of 15.
| Vehicle | Years | Death rate | Score | Reliability | Used price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Camry 4WD | 2020-23 | 15 (0 to 35) | 62.2 | n/a | n/a |
| Subaru Legacy | 2020-23 | 37 (12 to 61) | 30.7 | n/a | n/a |
| Toyota Camry hybrid | 2020-23 | 51 (26 to 75) | 22.1 | n/a | n/a |
| Toyota Camry 2WD | 2020-23 | 61 (50 to 73) | 18.0 | n/a | n/a |
| Hyundai Sonata | 2020-23 | 83 (58 to 108) | 14.3 | n/a | n/a |
| Kia K5 | 2021-23 | 94 (61 to 127) | 12.0 | n/a | n/a |
| Nissan Maxima | 2020-23 | 105 (47 to 163) | 11.3 | n/a | n/a |
| Nissan Altima (this page) | 2021-23 | 105 (72 to 138) | 11.3 | n/a | n/a |
| Chevrolet Malibu | 2023 | 116 (39 to 194) | 10.1 | n/a | n/a |
Class average for midsize cars: 67 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
The new Nissan Altima
Death rates lag the market by several years. For the current Nissan Altima we score IIHS crash tests instead; here is how the latest model years rate on our new-car scale.
| Model year | Model | IIHS award | New-car score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Nissan Altima | No award | 41.6 |
New-car scores use a different scale (crash tests, not death rates) and are not directly comparable with the 11.3 used-car score above.
Safety recalls for the Nissan Altima
We do not have a verified NHTSA recall lookup for this nameplate and model year. Check by VIN rather than treating that as a clean record.
Recall campaigns from the NHTSA recalls database, retrieved 2026-09-16. A campaign covers a range of build dates, not every car of the model year, and IIHS reports this nameplate across several years while these results are for one year. Confirm against the VIN. Recalls do not affect the death rate on this page.
Nissan Altima: Common Questions
Is the Nissan Altima a safe car?
Not on this measure: its drivers died at a higher rate than its class average. IIHS recorded a driver death rate of 105 per million registered vehicle years for the 2021-23 Nissan Altima, 57% above the class average (67 for midsize cars). That earns a used-car safety score of 11.3 out of 100 and rank #174 of 188 used vehicles.
What is the Nissan Altima driver death rate?
105 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, with a 95% confidence interval of 72 to 138. Drivers of other vehicles that collided with a Nissan Altima died at a rate of 64 per million. Source: IIHS driver death rates by make and model, covering 2021-23 models.
How does the Nissan Altima compare with other midsize cars?
The midsize cars class averages 67 driver deaths per million; the Nissan Altima sits at 105. Among the 9 midsize cars compared above it ranks 8 by safety score; the top of that group is the Toyota Camry 4WD with a death rate of 15.