February 21, 2017
Car wrecks happen all of the time- they are inevitable for the time being.
Unfortunately, fatal car accidents are also a common occurence. More specifically, there were 802 fatal crashes in 2015 that resulted in 869 deaths in Missouri alone, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
That averages out to more than two deaths due to car accidents per day in just one year’s time.
Missouri is a pretty big state, sure, but what if it had been someone you love in one of those fatal crashes?
This blog post is not meant to be morbid. Many fatal crashes are only fatal because of unsafe vehicles or people not utilizing a vehicle’s safety features- even features as simple and important as seatbelts.
Safety is not a primary concern for most people when buying a car. Things like the year, the style, the miles per gallon, and even the amount of cup holders are often viewed as a more important purchasing decision than the car’s safety features.
Safest cars for you and your family
We have compiled a list of twenty of the top safest cars of 2017, each falling under 12 different categories of car type such as small car or large SUV.
Each of these cars all come from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s 2017 Top Safety Pick+ and 2017 Top Safety Pick lists.
IIHS 2017 Top Safety Pick+ List
According to IIHS’ website, “a vehicle must earn good ratings in the five crashworthiness tests, an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention and a good or acceptable headlight rating” to qualify as an IIHS 2017 Top Safety Pick+.
1) Small car- Chevrolet Volt
Some more safe alternatives within the small car category are the Hyundai Elantra (Sedan only, built after March 2016), Mazda 3 (4-door sedan or 4-door hatchback), Toyota Corolla, and Toyota Prius (built after August 2016).
2) Midsize car- Honda Accord 4-door
There are several safe midsize car alternatives including the Mazda 6, Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback, Toyota Camry, Toyota Prius v, and Volkswagen Letta.
3) Midsize luxury car- Lexus ES 350
Not everyone can afford luxury cars, but if you can, some more safe midsize luxury alternatives to the Lexus ES 350 would be the Audi A4, Volvo S60, and Volvo V60.
4) Large luxury car- Genesis G80
Again, if you can afford it, two safe large luxury alternatives to the Genesis G80 are the Genesis G90 and the Lexus RC.
5) Small SUV- Mitsubishi Outlander
Some more safe small SUV options are the Mazda CX-3, Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester (built after October 2016), and Toyota RAV4.
6) Midsize SUV- Hyundai Santa Fe
A safe midsize SUV alternative to the Hyundai Santa Fe is the Honda Pilot.
7) Midsize luxury SUV- Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class
There are several midsize luxury SUV alternatives to the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class such as the Acura MDX, Acura RDX, Audi Q5, Buick Envision, Lexus NX, Lexus RX, and Volvo XC60.
8) Minivan- Chrysler Pacifica (built after 2006)
9) Large pickup- Honda Ridgeline
IIHS 2017 Top Safety Pick List
According to IIHS’ website, “a vehicle must earn good ratings in the five crashworthiness tests, as well as an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention” to qualify as an IIHS 2017 Top Safety Pick.
10) Minicar- Mini Cooper Hard Top 2-door
Another minicar to consider is the Toyota Yaris iA, especially if price is a big purchasing factor.
11) Small car- Honda Civic 2-door / Honda Civic 4-door
Again, there are several other small car alternatives. The Acura ILX, Lexus CT 200h, Nissan Sentra, Subaru Crosstrek, Subaru WRX, Volkswagen Golf 4-door, Volkswagen Golf Alltrack, Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen, and Volkswagen GTI 4-door are all great.
12) Midsize car- Honda Accord 2-door
Midsize car alternatives to the Honda Accord 2-door include the Chevrolet Malibu, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, and Volkswagen Passat.
13) Midsize luxury car- Mercedes-Benz C-Class 4-door
Three alternatives to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class 4-door are the Audi A3, BMW 2 Series, and Lincoln MKZ.
14) Large car- Toyota Avalon
15) Large luxury car- Acura RLX
Three more large luxury options include the Audi A6, Infinity Q70 (except V8 4-wheel drive models), and Volvo S90.
16) Small SUV- Hyundai Tucson
The BMW X1, Fiat 500X, and Kia Sportage are also small SUV alternatives to the Hyundai Tucson.
17) Midsize SUV- Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
Four alternatives to the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport are the GMC Acadia, Kia Sorento, Nissan Moreno, and Nissan Pathfinder.
18) Midsize luxury SUV- Cadillac XT5
The Infiniti QX60, Lincoln MKX, and Volvo XC90 are all great midsize luxury alternatives to the Cadillac XT5.
19) Large SUV- Audi Q7
20) Minivan- Kia Sedona
As you can see, we have compiled an organized list of the safest cars, in their respective categories, of 2017 according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Whether you are wanting a small luxury sedan or a large pickup, safety should always be a high-ranking consideration in your purchase.
Having a verified safe vehicle could be the difference between life and death in a car accident. However, make sure that you and your loved ones are always buckled up and practicing safe driving as well.