The Vehicle Survival Guide: Safest and Deadliest Vehicles

The Vehicle Survival Guide: The Safest and Deadliest Vehicles on the Road

In 2024, 39,254 people died in road traffic accidents. If you’re unlucky enough to be involved in a crash, the vehicle you drive can significantly determine your chances of survival.

A new Siegfried & Jensen study examines varying crash vulnerabilities through our Vehicle Survival Guide. Drawing on federal traffic fatality data and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) road accident statistics, we compare a range of vehicles, from minicars and sedans to SUVs, pickups, luxury models, and motorcycles.

The Vehicle You Drive Can Determine Your Chances of Surviving a Crash

Our analysis of NHTSA data found that, of the 39,254 national traffic fatalities in 2024, 22,713 were passenger vehicle occupant deaths, or 57.9% of the total. And for every 100,000 registered vehicles, passenger cars recorded 10.81 deaths, far more than for vans (6.14), SUVs (6.23), and pickups (7.26).

It’s a similar story if we measure by miles traveled. Passenger car occupants were subject to 1.05 deaths per 100 million miles; for those in light trucks (including SUVs, pickups, and vans), the rate was 0.63.

SUV Popularity Doesn’t Equal Greater Risk

In 2024, there were more SUVs in the U.S. than passenger cars (112.5 million SUVs; 98.8 million passenger cars). Despite rising SUV popularity (SUV registrations rose 4.8% during the year, while car registrations fell 2.8%) and more overall light truck fatalities due to a higher number of vehicles on the road, passenger cars continue to represent a higher level of proportional danger to drivers and occupants.

Pickup Truck Safety Concerns

Yet pickup trucks feature some notable safety challenges. In 2024, 38.7% of pickup occupants killed in crashes died in rollovers, compared to 20.4% of passenger occupants (for SUVs the figure was 32.3%). Rollovers are also more likely to eject occupants.

When a driver or occupant is thrown from the vehicle, it almost always results in a fatality. What happens to people inside a rolling vehicle often depends on whether they stay inside it. In 2024, of the 4,228 occupants completely ejected from their vehicles in fatal crashes, 3,563 died, a fatality rate of 84%.

The use of a seat belt is another safety concern. Of all vehicle groups studied, the occupants of pickups were the least likely to wear a seat belt (their recorded use rate was 85%).

Motorcycles Represent the Ultimate Fatality Risk

In 2024, motorcyclists faced the highest level of road risk, dying at a rate of around 28 deaths per 100 million miles traveled (compared with 1.05 for passenger car occupants). That means motorcyclists are about 27 times more likely to die per mile. According to July 2026 NHTSA data, 6,228 motorcyclists died in traffic crashes in 2024, which is around 16% of all road fatalities.

Ultimately, the type of vehicle you drive can significantly increase your chances of dying in a road crash, with the risk factor especially high for motorcyclists. But which of the other specific types of common road vehicles represent the highest level of danger to drivers?

The 10 Deadliest Vehicle Classes

The IIHS released its latest model-specific driver death rate findings in July 2026. This analysis – which covers 2023 models and equivalent earlier models – uses fatal crash data between 2021 and 2024 (rates represent driver deaths per million registered vehicle years) to determine comparative vehicle risk.

Minicars featured the highest driver death rate among all examined vehicle classes, with a rate of 139 per million registered vehicles between 1 and 3 years old. Large cars featured the next-highest rate (79), followed by small cars (60) and midsize cars (54). The large car class includes powerful models like the Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, and Chrysler 300: IIHS data points to their large engines and the aggressive driving habits such vehicles tend to attract as a major danger factor (the same principle applies to sports cars).

Yet a number of large and very large vehicles all recorded comparatively low rates, with large pickups recording 33 driver deaths per million registered vehicles, and very large pickups (31) and very large cars (23) performing even better. Midsize SUVs (22) featured the lowest rate in the top 10, far less than half the rate recorded by midsize cars (54). Differences in safety technology, vehicle design, and driving patterns are all likely contributors to the results.

Danger Vehicles by Decade

Car technology and safety have undergone a revolution since the days of cassette decks and manual windows. According to IIHS data, the average driver death rate for newer vehicles has fallen drastically over the years: from 152 per million registered vehicles in 1984 to 36 by 2024, a decline of 76%. And each particular decade featured a changing variety of vehicles synonymous with both driver danger and safety.

In the 1980s (according to IIHS data from 1984 to 1988), a key danger vehicle was the Chevrolet Corvette. With an occupant death rate of 4.7 per 10,000 registered vehicles, the Corvette was nine times deadlier than the safest model across the decade, the Volvo 240 station wagon (0.5).

In the 1990s (1991 to 1995), Chevrolet was still at the top of the danger list (this time with the Camaro). For safety, the Ford Windstar minivan recorded the lowest driver death rate of any vehicle, around a quarter of the national average.

The 2000s saw the first zero-death vehicles: IIHS data from 2005 to 2008 tells us that there were seven such vehicles, including the Audi A6 4WD, Mercedes-Benz E-Class 4WD, Toyota Sienna, and Ford Edge.

The 2010s did even better. IIHS’s study of 2011 models found nine zero-death vehicles, including the Honda Odyssey, Lexus RX 350 4WD, and Volvo XC90 4WD. The average driver death rate fell to 28, the lowest IIHS has ever recorded.

Finally, the 2020s (2023 models) featured six vehicles that recorded no driver deaths, including the Audi Q7 4WD, BMW X7 4WD, and the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class 2WD. Yet according to statistics, drivers face increasing danger compared to 2010 figures, with the average death rate up to 37.

Some car brands (such as Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus) have shown consistently high safety levels over many decades. At the other end of the scale, many brands have remained persistently associated with driver danger. And it’s worth considering which models are at the top of the present-day danger list.

The Deadliest Vehicle Models

Based on IIHS data covering 2023 models (plus earlier models with the same specifications) between 2021 and 2024, the Kia Rio had the highest driver death rate: 170 deaths per million registered vehicle years, over four times the overall average rate (37). The Nissan Versa was ranked in second place, recording a rate of 164 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.

Both cars are small and affordable, which means they appeal to buyers on a tight budget. That said, for those looking for a first car for a teen or young driver, it’s worth looking beyond the price tag and considering the safety data.

Other powerful cars also featuring high driver death rates include the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Dodge Challenger. Some SUV models, such as the Hyundai Venue, also showed worrying numbers (113 deaths per million registered vehicle years).

By way of contrast, six models recorded zero driver deaths during the study period.

Audi Q7
BMW X7
Chevrolet Tahoe
Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class
Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class
Toyota Tundra CrewMax

Note: just because a vehicle recorded no deaths doesn’t mean it’s completely safe. For anyone looking to buy a car, it’s vital to consider both its real-world safety record and its crash-test ratings to get a fuller idea of its crash vulnerability.

Bigger Vehicles Can Exacerbate Risks for Others

While bigger vehicles often do a great job of protecting occupants, they may pose a high level of risk to those in smaller vehicles. The IIHS measures this factor via its ‘other-driver death rate,’ which tracks the deaths of drivers of other vehicles involved in crashes with specific vehicle models.

Very large pickups recorded an average other-driver death rate of 110 per million registered vehicle years, a rate which is more than double the overall average (53). The Ram 3500 crew cab long bed 4WD recorded the highest rate in the latest model analysis (204). To compare, its own driver death rate was just 24.

In 2024, in crashes involving passenger cars and light trucks, 2,687 passenger car occupants died; for those riding in light trucks, the number was 955. The difference was especially stark regarding side-impact crashes. In cases where the front of a light truck collided with the side of a passenger car, occupants of the car were 13.9 times more likely to die than those in the truck.

Pedestrians are also at risk. Our assessment of recent IIHS traffic fatality data found that pickups, SUVs, and vans with hood heights over 40 inches were around 45% more likely to kill a pedestrian in a crash than vehicles with lower, sloping fronts.

The Role of Seats and Seat Belts

For decades, conventional wisdom suggested that the back seat was the safest part of a vehicle. More up-to-date research contradicts such assumptions. According to IIHS research, in vehicles from model year 2007 onward, belted rear seat passengers are 46% more likely to suffer a fatal injury than belted front seat occupants.

That’s not because the back seat has become more dangerous but because the front seat is now much safer, thanks to advanced airbags and seat belts that tighten and adjust in a crash (features rarely found in the back seat). In fact, fewer than half of new vehicles feature advanced rear seat restraint systems. IIHS researchers note that chest injuries (which are often caused by the shoulder belt) are the most common serious injuries for adult back seat passengers.

A 2019 Virginia Tech study found that the safety gap between front and back heavily depends on age. For teens and adults under the age of 40, the back seat was still the safer choice. But for occupants aged between 55 and 74, the rear seat represented 1.8 times the fatality risk of the front seat; for those aged 75 and older, the back seat was more than 4 times as risky. And the back seat is still the safest place for children under 13, who can suffer serious injuries from front airbags.

Automakers are starting to bridge the gap. After IIHS added a rear seat dummy to its frontal crash test in 2022, around 60% of the 2025 models it subsequently tested earned acceptable or good ratings for rear seat protection, with small and midsize SUVs faring best.

Seat Belts Can Save Lives

The importance of a seat belt in a crash cannot be overstated. And in 2024, only 80.1% of rear seat passengers buckled up (compared with 91.2% of those in the front). When the driver was between the ages of 16 and 24, the use of a rear seat belt dropped to just 54.3%, meaning nearly half of those passengers were unbuckled. In 2024, in cases where the information was available, nearly 48% of passenger vehicle occupants who died in crashes were not wearing a seat belt. The numbers were worse at night: about 56% of those killed in nighttime crashes weren’t wearing a seat belt, compared with 41% of those who died in daytime crashes.

A seat belt helps to keep an occupant inside the vehicle during a crash and allows the vehicle’s safety systems to work as designed. That means for all journeys at all times, for drivers and other vehicle occupants, using a seat belt is crucial.

Older Vehicles May Offer Less Protection

An NHTSA study found that drivers of vehicles that were at least 18 years or older were 71% more likely to die in a crash than drivers of vehicles that were up to three years old. The odds were 32% higher for vehicles aged between 12 and 14 years old and 50% higher for vehicles aged between 15 and 17 years old. This could be highly relevant as Americans tend to keep their vehicles for a long time: 2025 S&P Global Mobility data shows that the average vehicle on U.S. roads was 12.8 years old.

Newer vehicles often offer more advanced crash protection and safety features, but drivers of older vehicles can still take practical steps such as maintaining safety systems, checking for recalls, and reviewing safety ratings before they buy a used car.

How Safety Technology Can Reduce Crash Risks

Electronic stability control (ESC) helps drivers keep control of their vehicle when it starts to skid. IIHS found that ESC cuts the risk of a fatal single-vehicle crash by around half. According to study data, it also reduces the risk of fatal single-vehicle rollovers by 75% for SUVs and 72% for cars.

Automatic emergency braking systems may also help to prevent a collision. Study data suggests that vehicles equipped with this technology suffered 50% fewer rear-end crashes and 56% fewer rear-end crashes involving injuries.

EV weight adds another vehicle safety factor. Because of their large battery packs, electric cars are often substantially heavier than similar gas-powered models. While this may be advantageous in a crash, it can also increase the level of danger for people in smaller, lighter vehicles.

A Highway Loss Data Institute analysis found that EVs had 40% fewer personal injury protection claims, 41% fewer medical payment claims, and 22% fewer bodily injury liability claims than comparable gasoline-powered models. That said, it’s worth emphasizing that EVs were driven fewer miles on average, so the figures don’t necessarily mean every electric vehicle is safer.

The Vehicle Survival Guide: What it Could Mean for Drivers

The Vehicle Survival Guide makes it clear that vehicle safety depends on more than body style or size. The specific model, its age, the safety technology it may feature, and driver conduct are all potentially significant factors.

Drivers can put these findings to use in the following ways.

Compare specific models
Safety can vary widely between vehicles in the same class.

Check crash-test ratings and real-world data
Both provide useful (and different) information.

Review safety features and model years
Newer vehicles often feature technology that older models lack.

Consider other road users
Vehicle weight and front-end design can increase the severity of injuries to smaller vehicle occupants and pedestrians.

Wear a seat belt
Restraints are still a major means of reducing fatal injury risk.

Drive responsibly
Safety technology can’t stop a driver speeding, driving while impaired, being distracted, or undertaking unsafe maneuvers.

Understanding Vehicle Safety Can Help Save Lives

Ultimately, vehicle safety is determined by a number of key factors. The difference between vehicle models is often highly significant. For example, the Kia Rio featured 170 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years; alternately, six models featured no driver deaths recorded during the study period.

In terms of vehicle classes, minicars featured the highest death rates, while very large luxury cars featured the lowest. Yet the research conducted by Utah car accident lawyers Siegfried & Jensen is about more than ranking vehicles. It underscores the extent to which vehicle size can shift danger between road users, how rollovers and ejections contribute to fatalities, and why safety measures and systems matter.

Siegfried & Jensen’s Vehicle Survival Guide means drivers can make smarter choices when buying a car. No vehicle is immune from a crash, but knowing key safety data, keeping your vehicle’s safety features in good shape, wearing a seat belt, and staying focused behind the wheel can massively increase your odds of steering clear of danger.

The Vehicle Survival Guide: The Safest and Deadliest Vehicles on the Road

The Vehicle You Drive Can Determine Your Chances of Surviving a Crash