- Drivers are considerably less likely to die at the wheel of a large vehicle than a small one, according to new research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
- The IIHS, which crash tests vehicles for the US market, found that SUVs accounted for 12 of the 20 2017 models with the lowest rates of driver death.
- Some of the safest models included the BMW X5, Chevrolet Suburban, Range Rover Evoque, and Lexus GX 460.
- Luxury vehicles tend to be better at preventing driver death, and more than half of the safest models were either luxury cars or SUVs.
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When it comes to driver death rates, large luxury SUVs tend to be much safer than small economy cars, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says.
It’s pretty much common sense that a burly SUV will fare better in a crash than a pint-sized sedan, but it’s still notable that – even after years of research and development in safety technology – size has such a significant impact on fatality rates.
The IIHS studied driver deaths that occurred from 2015-2018 in vehicles from the 2017 model year, along with previous-model-year vehicles with the same design. It found that the 20 safest models were dominated by minivans, large and very large SUVs, and luxury cars. Luxury vehicles, the IIHS noted, tend to come with advanced safety features like blind-spot warning and lane-departure prevention that aren’t standard in all cars.
The least safe models, on the other hand, were almost all small cars such as the Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta, and Nissan Versa. But there were some notable exceptions; the IIHS found that the Nissan Leaf and Volkswagen Golf – neither of which is large or luxurious – both had very low rates of driver death.
Below you can check out the 20 safest models, ranked by driver death rate per million registered vehicle years. A registered vehicle year refers to one vehicle registered for one year, and the average rate across all 2017 models was found to be 36 deaths. The worst performer had 141.
20. Honda Odyssey
The IIHS observed eight driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
19. Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4WD
The IIHS observed eight driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
18. Toyota Tundra Crew Max 4WD
The IIHS observed seven driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
17. Toyota Sienna 4WD
The IIHS observed seven driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
16. Mitsubishi Outlander 4WD
The IIHS observed seven driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
15. Lexus CT 200h
The IIHS observed six driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
14. Cadillac Escalade 4WD
The IIHS observed six driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
13. Nissan Leaf
The IIHS observed five driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
12. BMW X3 4WD
The IIHS observed five driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
11. BMW X5 4WD
The IIHS observed four driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
10. Acura RDX 2WD
The IIHS observed four driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
9. Subaru Outback
The IIHS observed three driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
8. Lexus GX 460 4WD
The IIHS observed three driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
7. Volkswagen Golf
The IIHS observed zero driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
6. Porsche Cayenne 4WD
The IIHS observed zero driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
5. Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan 4WD
The IIHS observed zero driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
4. Lexus NX 200t 4WD
The IIHS observed zero driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
3. Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 4WD
The IIHS observed zero driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
2. Infiniti QX60 2WD
The IIHS observed zero driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
1. GMC Yukon XL 1500 4WD
The IIHS observed zero driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.