Used car safety, rank #175 of 188
Nissan Maxima Safety Rating (2020-23)
Real IIHS driver death rates for the 2020-23 Nissan Maxima, 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 2020-23 Nissan Maxima 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 #175 of 188 used vehicles with a safety score of 11.3/100.
What the Nissan Maxima death rate means
At 105 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, the Nissan Maxima is 57% worse than the midsize cars average of 67. The 95% confidence interval is 47 to 163, which overlaps the class average, so some of the gap may be chance.
The other-driver death rate of 53 measures the opposite risk: how many drivers of other vehicles died in crashes with a Nissan Maxima. Its 95% confidence interval is 14β91. It is no higher than the Nissan Maxima'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 Maxima 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 Altima | 2021-23 | 105 (72 to 138) | 11.3 | n/a | n/a |
| Nissan Maxima (this page) | 2020-23 | 105 (47 to 163) | 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.
Safety recalls for the Nissan Maxima
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 Maxima: Common Questions
Is the Nissan Maxima 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 2020-23 Nissan Maxima, 57% above the class average (67 for midsize cars). That earns a used-car safety score of 11.3 out of 100 and rank #175 of 188 used vehicles.
What is the Nissan Maxima driver death rate?
105 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, with a 95% confidence interval of 47 to 163. Drivers of other vehicles that collided with a Nissan Maxima died at a rate of 53 per million. Source: IIHS driver death rates by make and model, covering 2020-23 models.
How does the Nissan Maxima compare with other midsize cars?
The midsize cars class averages 67 driver deaths per million; the Nissan Maxima 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.