What Are the Safest Car Brands?
Andrew Koole
· 3 min read
Cars are getting safer every year. New safety features like reverse cameras and blind-spot detection take the guessing game out of driving, helping you get from point A to point B without any hiccups. But all this new
technology
can also increase the cost of a car.While you weigh the pros and cons of buying a new car vs. a used model,
Jerry
wants to help. Here’s a little info gathered from reliable online resources on the safest car brands—historically and in terms of current offerings from automakers.
2021 models with the best ratings from IIHS
The two most reliable sources for
safety ratings
are the government-run National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS
). Of the two, only IIHS hands out awards for automotive safety.This year’s awards from IIHS covered a lot of ground. The insurance industry-funded organization highlighted up to 26 models in each of its 12 categories. The top 76 models received the “Safety Pick+” label.
By a long shot, the automaker with the most “Safety Pick+” models was Volvo. The Swedish brand’s entire lineup made the cut, from S and V Series sedans and wagons to its XC Series SUVs. Audi and Mazda shared second place with seven models each.
Historical data lines up with this year’s IIHS awards—mostly
It probably isn’t surprising that Volvo turned up on the top of IIHS’ list of awardees. The luxury(ish) car brand started building a reputation for safety since it open-sourced its design for the first three-point seatbelt in 1959. Opinions and data continue to line up for the automaker.
British van insurer
Vanarama
dove into data from Euro NCAP (Europe’s IIHS) from 2016 to present, and the results showed a similar picture to the one found in this year’s list from IIHS. Polestar, Volvo’s closely affiliated EV producer, came out on top. Volvo itself came in fifth.Surprisingly,
Tesla
was the second safest brand according to the organization’s data, followed by other luxury brands Lexus and Genesis. The top non-luxury brands on the list were Subaru in sixth place and Mazda in 10th.How to find a safe and affordable vehicle
New technology generally enters the automotive industry through
luxury brands
before trickling down into cheaper vehicles. But the adoption of safety features by more affordable automakers is getting faster and faster. If you want the safest car on the road, you might still need to fork over the extra cash needed for a Volvo or a Tesla, but many new and current models from brands like Hyundai, Mazda, and Subaru also have impressively high safety ratings.
Even safe cars need car insurance
No matter how safe your new car is though, you need to make sure you’re properly covered by your
car insurance
. Jerry can help you find the right policy at the right price. A licensed broker, Jerry does all the hard work of finding cheap quotes from the top name-brand insurance companies and buying new car insurance. Jerry will even help you cancel your old policy.
