How safe is the car you own or plan to buy? No vehicle safety rating system is perfect, but the ones provided below are the best available. And to further help, the links on the left lead to additional information about auto safety.
Before accessing a search below, be sure you know the make, model and year of the car you want to learn about - you will need it for your search query. (Some links require Adobe Reader to open pdf documents; CLICK HERE to download.)
VEHICLE DEATH RATE LIST: Find vehicles with the lowest predicted crash death rates by CLICKING HERE for a unique list developed by a leading injury epidemiologist for this site. It will be displayed as a pdf document. You can browse the list or search it using the Acrobat search tool.
CAR BOOK RATINGS: The Car Book annually publishes its safety rating information for new car models.
CLICK HERE for 2007 model year information.
CLICK HERE
for 2006 model year information.
CLICK HERE for 2005 model year information.
IIHS CRASH TEST RESULTS: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety runs a tougher series of crash tests for many cars, including offset frontal impacts. To search results, CLICK HERE.
INSURANCE CLAIMS DATA: The Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of IIHS, collects and publishes claims data for cars on the highway, including injury claims data. To search the results CLICK HERE.
RECENT RECALLS: To search for RECENT RECALLS, CLICK HERE. When the page appears, scroll down the list in the top right-hand box. (Do not click on the "National Highway Traffic Safety Administration" header. Doing so takes you out of the list and onto the NHTSA home page.)
ADVANCED SAFETY FEATURES: Some vehicles are equipped with standard or optional safety features such as Side Impact Air Bags and Electronic Stability Control; some are not. CLICK HERE for standard equipment lists for most vehicle makes, models and years. When you find the model(s) you are looking for, search for specific features by browsing the list or using your computer's Control-F search tool. Information on options can be obtained from dealers or from the Car Book, which is available for purchase at the Center for Auto Safety.