Safest Cars
These are the vehicles that earned NHTSA's top 5-star overall crash rating, ranked so the models with the cleanest recall records come first. It combines two things buyers usually have to check separately: how a car performs in a crash, and how often it gets recalled.
Of the 291 models NHTSA has crash-tested, 219 earned the full five stars overall. Plenty of cars hit five stars, so the table breaks the tie the way a buyer actually should: among the top-rated models, the ones with the cleanest recall record rank first. Crash performance and recall history are two different things, and a car can be strong on one and weaker on the other.
Top-rated cars for crash safety
| # | Model | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Recall score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buick Cascada | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 99 |
| 2 | Subaru BRZ | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | A 98 |
| 3 | Mazda Mazda2 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 97 |
| 4 | Lexus RZ | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 96 |
| 5 | Lincoln Continental | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 94 |
| 6 | Audi Q3 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 93 |
| 7 | Buick Envision | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 93 |
| 8 | Chevrolet Trailblazer | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 93 |
| 9 | Toyota Venza | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 93 |
| 10 | Volkswagen Golf R | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 93 |
| 11 | Audi S3 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 92 |
| 12 | Toyota Prius | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 92 |
| 13 | Acura RLX | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | A 91 |
| 14 | Audi A4 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | A 87 |
| 15 | Buick Encore | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 87 |
| 16 | Mitsubishi Outlander | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 87 |
| 17 | Audi A3 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 86 |
| 18 | Toyota Yaris | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 86 |
| 19 | GMC Terrain | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 85 |
| 20 | Toyota RAV4 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 84 |
| 21 | Infiniti Q70 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 83 |
| 22 | Toyota Avalon | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 83 |
| 23 | Toyota Crown | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 83 |
| 24 | Cadillac XT4 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 82 |
| 25 | Toyota Highlander | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 82 |
| 26 | Audi S4 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | A 81 |
| 27 | Cadillac CTS | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | A 81 |
| 28 | Cadillac ATS | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | A 81 |
| 29 | Chevrolet Equinox | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 80 |
| 30 | Honda Odyssey | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 80 |
| 31 | Infiniti Q50 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | A 80 |
| 32 | Toyota Tundra | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | A 80 |
| 33 | Lincoln Nautilus | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 79 |
| 34 | Toyota Corolla | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 79 |
| 35 | Toyota Sienna | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 79 |
| 36 | Cadillac XTS | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 78 |
| 37 | Hyundai Veloster | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 77 |
| 38 | Dodge Dart | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 76 |
| 39 | Audi A5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | B 74 |
| 40 | Buick Regal | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 74 |
| 41 | Buick Encore GX | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 74 |
| 42 | Chevrolet Sonic | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 74 |
| 43 | Subaru WRX | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | B 74 |
| 44 | Cadillac CT5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | B 73 |
| 45 | Volkswagen Tiguan | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 73 |
| 46 | Acura MDX | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 72 |
| 47 | Mazda Mazda3 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | B 72 |
| 48 | Chevrolet Impala | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 71 |
| 49 | Chrysler 200 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 71 |
| 50 | Lexus ES | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 71 |
| 51 | Volvo XC60 | 5/5 | 5/5 | — | 4/5 | B 70 |
| 52 | Chevrolet Malibu | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 69 |
| 53 | Ford Taurus | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 69 |
| 54 | Mazda CX-3 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 69 |
| 55 | Nissan Rogue Sport | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 69 |
| 56 | Lexus IS | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | B 68 |
| 57 | Nissan Sentra | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | B 68 |
| 58 | Toyota Camry | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | B 68 |
| 59 | Audi Q6 E-TRON | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 67 |
| 60 | GMC Acadia | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | B 67 |
Common questions about car safety ratings
- What are the safest cars?
- 219 models earned NHTSA's top 5-star overall crash rating in their most recent test. The table ranks them, and among the 5-star cars it puts the ones with the cleanest recall records first, so you get crash safety and reliability in one view. The leaders include the Buick Cascada, Subaru BRZ, Mazda Mazda2.
- What does a 5-star safety rating mean?
- It is NHTSA's highest overall score in its New Car Assessment Program, combining frontal crash, side crash, and rollover tests. Five stars means the vehicle performed best in those federal tests. It is not a guarantee of safety in every real-world crash.
- Do 5-star cars still get recalls?
- Yes. Crash-test ratings and recalls are separate. A car can ace its crash tests and still be recalled for a defect later. That is why this list shows each model's recall safety score next to its stars, and links to the full recall history.
Crash ratings come from NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings program. Recall scores are from our recall methodology. This list updates as NHTSA publishes new ratings. Reference only, not legal or safety advice.