When you’re ready to make a purchase such as a car, one of the main factors that you’re going to most likely look into are the safety ratings.  This is important, especially if you’re going to be toting around some children.

Now, every year, the safety ratings are going to change, so this post my be a little outdated by the time you read this.  I went ahead and looked at some of the top cars online.  I was able to sort them by large, small, as well as midsized, and SUVs.

All ratings are based on the IIHS, which is the Inurance Institute for Highway Safety.

SMALL CARS

  • Honda Civic
  • Kia Forte
  • Nissan Cube
  • Scion xB
  • Toyota Corolla

MIDSIZE CARS

  • Audi A3
  • Chevrolet Malibu
  • Dodge Avenger
  • Subaru LEgacy
  • VW Jetta

LARGE CARS

  • Buick LaCrosse
  • Ford Taurus
  • Hyundai Genesis
  • Mercedes E Class
  • Toyota Avalon

MIDSIZE SUVs

  • Dodge Journey
  • Lexus RX
  • Subaru Tribeca
  • Volvo XC60
  • Volvo XC90

SMALL SUVs

  • Honda Element
  • Jeep Patriot
  • Subaru Forester
  • VW Tiguran

How are these safety ratings decided?

The IIHS will conduct particular tests on all makes and models of cars.

The first test that they will conduct is a offset crash test, having the car drive speeds of 40 MPH.  This will test the structural design of the vehicle.

The second test they will conduct is via the side crash test.  This will show how protection the car is going to have, if there are other passengers inside the vehicle.

After these 2 tests are conducted, they will proceed to have a rollover crash to test the roof strength for protection during rollover crashes.

The IIHS will test rear crash restraint ratings.  This will primarily focus on how well the seats are places to prevent whiplash type injuries.

After these type of evaluations, they are going to finally test the ESC.  This reduces crash risk, as well as help drivers maintain the control of their cars during emergency based situations.

The IIHS has been conducting these studies for years now.  To get more information on these specific tests, as well as more information on each car, you can find it all here.