Car manufacturers have found new ways to make better vehicles. The safest car brands have innovative features that protect drivers and other road users.
You feel different when driving any of these cars, knowing that you’re sitting in one of the safest vehicles.
The first things in the mind of a prospective car buyer would probably be the mileage, looks, and comfort. Safety standards pop in when the final papers are to be signed.
Notwithstanding, government regulations require production vehicles to have certain features that will ensure passengers’ safety.
While airbags are the standard safety features, some car brands incorporate other modern technologies like adaptive headlights and blind-spot detection.
The cars on this list of safest car brands may not look fancy, but (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rates them high on safety.
Can you guess which car tops the list? Let’s find out.
1. Honda
Honda has a long history in automobile engineering, making its vehicles easily recognizable.
The company has a wide assortment of cars, including sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs, CUVs, and large pickup trucks.
Indeed, it is a car for anyone and any purpose, whether it is a small city car or a cross-country vehicle.
This Japanese automaker has been at the front lines of safety features, with dedicated engineers covering every driving aspect.
New technologies like lane watch, blind-spot monitoring, and advanced driver assistance have ranked the carmaker among the safest car brands.
Honda offers lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, mitigating collision braking, and traffic sign recognition.
The fantastic thing is that even their budget vehicles have these features as standard. Hence, you will feel secure driving any of their cars.
What happens when a Honda vehicle gets into a crash despite safety features? Its models have received positive ratings in crash tests, encouraging people to pick them as their vehicle of choice.
Honda sits second among other brands in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) ratings.
2. Kia
It is pleasing that Kia has shredded its past stigma for its vehicles’ low-quality and poor design features.
Today, the company has a reputation for building durable and efficient budget-friendly cars, and its recent models are not only safe but aesthetically pleasing.
Kia has an extensive and unique lineup, packing plenty of safety features as standard in its vehicles.
Modern technologies like lane keep assist, lane departure warning, automatic emergency, and forward-collision warning are a few.
These features have placed it among the safest car brands, with 33 percent of its fleet receiving a 5-star NHTSA overall rating. Whether it’s looks, safety, or efficiency, Kia has it all.
3. BMW
Maybe you’ve seen or driven the BMW’s competition series vehicles or the luxury 7 series.
This German automaker has an extensive lineup, ranging from modest budget-friendly vehicles to performance and luxury cars.
BMW has some of the best high-tech safety systems among the safest car brands. Today, its cars can drive themselves in certain conditions, like pulling out of a parking spot.
Sitting behind the wheel of a BMW vehicle is an enjoyable experience because of features like adaptive cruise control, steering, and lane guiding assist.
Other innovative safety features include lane keep assist, lane change assist, active lane-centering, and collision avoidance systems.
BMW offers systems that recognize road signs, guiding the driver in the best way possible. IIHS rates the brand as one of the most reliable and safe choices.
As much as the brand focuses on luxury and performance, it doesn’t compromise on safety.
4. Audi
Audi has worked hard to be among the leading brands in car safety technology.
The automaker has introduced several advanced safety features to the automobile industry, giving customers the confidence to pick one of its cars.
This car company includes standard automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection across all its models.
Driving at night is a cruise with the availability of light vision, active lane assist, and adaptive cruise control.
You can get a car for yourself regardless of your flavor. Whether it is the compact sedans or the wagons and SUVs, the safety features are top-notch.
Trusting a brand like this is easy when you know it has your safety at the heart of its design.
5. Hyundai
Hyundai’s lineup has impressed the IIHS positively, giving them a reputation for safety. The brand has evolved over the years, shedding the stigma for budget vehicles.
Laptops are branding themselves with the name, and this trend shows how better the company has become.
This car company has continued to offer forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking systems on its inexpensive models.
Indeed, drivers and passengers will always feel safe in any modern Hyundai vehicle.
Before now, automakers reserved these features for the premium models. Nonetheless, it’s a welcome development to see budget vehicles having these safety features.
NHTSA awarded about 50% of Hyundai’s lineup a five-star overall safety rating, earning the company a spot among the safest car brands.
The company continues to provide modern technologies and upgrades to ensure their cars deliver.
6. Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes has led the automotive industry with its super-realistic driving visions.
This move is synonymous with the German automaker’s dedication to providing innovative systems for passenger safety.
Before, such technologies worked on inexpensive models, but almost all the models come with standard active safety features.
In another sector, the Mercedes truck project continues to focus on bringing autonomous driving systems to the heavy hauling industry.
Mercedes-Benz vehicles have automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, and pedestrian detection.
Its forward-collision and pedestrian detection systems are advanced, with the ability to detect within seconds.
Other safety systems include rain-sensing windshield wipers, crosswind assist, driver condition monitor, speed limit assist, night vision assist, and a heads-up display.
Also, the company has cleverly implemented features that read the road signs to aid in navigation and safety rules.
This brand will please even critiques because the protection of the driver and other road users is paramount to this car company.
Also, the brand was one of the safest car brands to introduce semi-autonomous driving systems.
7. Acura
Acura has the capability to deliver unique and safe vehicles despite owing its ownership to Honda.
The company has developed a full suite of advanced car driver assistance features. As one of the safest cars, Acura developed the AcuraWatch.
The safety package includes innovative features like automatic high-beam headlights and lane keeps assist.
Others are forward-collision warning, adaptive cruise control, road departure mitigation, and automatic emergency braking.
Since IIHS rates the design of Acura vehicles positively, it’s safe to assume that you will like its models.
The carmaker has not left any stone unturned to keep up with modern technologies.
Would you go for an Acura model? Please let me know your thoughts in the comment section.
8. Lincoln
IIHS has given more than 8 percent of Lincoln’s vehicles a top safety pick rating.
This recognition has made the brand a favorite, edging other American luxury car brands that usually have an average of 3 percent of their vehicles recognized by IIHS.
Lincoln continues to put more effort into improving its reputation by developing new safety features.
However, only the more recent models enjoy these innovative systems as Lincoln discontinued its older vehicles. Various Lincoln vehicles have these safety packages as standard.
The company offers the Plus version with adaptive cruise control, evasive steering assist, reverse brake, and active park assist.
Today, the brand has outrageous designs and luxury vehicles that have enjoyed widespread acceptance.
9. Subaru
Many people will easily recognize Subaru as a rally car company. Winning requires considerable effort and dedication to ingenious safety features and automotive engineering.
However, this brand has brought these systems to its production vehicles.
The company has 10 IIHS top safety pick + awards under its belt, while 36 percent of its vehicles have received an overall five-star rating from NHTSA.
These accolades speak volumes of Subaru’s commitment to producing the safest car brands.
Nearly every model that rolls out of its factories has all-wheel-drive systems as standard. Also, the company incorporates its EyeSight safety system in its vehicles.
The system includes sway warning, lane departure warning, pre-collision throttle management, and forward automatic emergency braking.
Those who own modern Subaru vehicles will know that the list is longer than that.
The advanced features include blind-spot monitoring, head-up display, lane change assist, automatic high beams, rear cross-traffic alert, rear seat reminder, and rain-sensing windshield wipers.
10. Mazda
Mazda gained popularity by designing and selling affordable cars that offer dynamic driving features.
The company wasn’t known for premium vehicles in years past, but the brand has moved its focus to luxury vehicles with advanced driving technologies.
This carmaker does not have an extensive lineup in production. Nonetheless, it has managed to clinch the top safety pick or top safety pick+ awards from the IIHS for all its vehicles except 2 models.
Some of the Mazda vehicle features are rear cross-traffic alert, low-speed automatic braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane keep assist, and pedestrian detection.
Others include adaptive cruise control, driver monitoring system, automatic high-beam headlights, heads-up display, and traffic sign reader.
Unsurprisingly, this company is among the safest car brands with such features.
11. Tesla
Tesla has grabbed several awards for its advanced technology and driving systems previously unavailable on production cars.
It has gone beyond the norm regarding standard safety features, one of them being semi-autonomous driving.
All models of this brand pack a suite of cameras and other hardware required for full self-driving abilities.
Today, its autopilot system is so advanced that it can drive vehicles with little human interaction, navigate routes, and enter and exit the freeway.
You can summon your Tesla with the touch of a remote from your garage.
Contrary to other companies in the safest car brands, this automaker has three models in its lineup, and all models have side collision avoidance and other safety features previously mentioned.
Another exciting news is that the NHTSA has awarded perfect five-star ratings to all Tesla vehicles.
This company takes the safety of the passengers and pedestrians very seriously in its design language.
12. Volvo
Volvo has been at the forefront of automotive safety for many years.
Most marketing campaigns have recently centered on its vehicles’ superior safety and exceptional integrity. Even the trucks have advanced safety features.
This company may have a small number of models, but it has perfectly created them to cover all tastes and preferences.
All three of its crossovers earned awards from the IIHS, leading to the popular nickname Safe City.
Volvo’s safety systems rely heavily on cameras and sensors, which it has implemented excellently.
Its vehicles use these systems to avoid collisions no matter the traffic conditions. The steering system can make corrections to the driver’s steering movements.
Other features include driver drowsiness monitoring, which can monitor the driver’s vitals and give a warning sound or pull the vehicle over.
Head-up display and traffic sign recognition make navigation as easy as possible.
13. Genesis
Hyundai created the Genesis brand as its luxury division in the automotive industry, and the company has exceptional performance when it comes to safety systems.
In a nutshell, the IIHS awarded the entire lineup of Genesis with the Top Safety Pick+ award.
Any model you get from this brand will come with an impressive blend of active safety systems like pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keep assist.
Drivers can relax the strain on their eyes as the lane departure warning and blind-spot monitoring warn them of any danger.
The automatic emergency braking system steps in when a collision is imminent, while the automatic high-beam headlights illuminate the road without dazzling other road users.
Navigation is easy with a head-up display, rain-sensing windshield, and adaptive headlights.
Despite having a unique safety system, Genesis still went ahead and incorporated a surround-view parking camera system and front/rear parking sensors.
Driving a system is fun and safe with all the trappings of the luxury car segment.
14. Volkswagen
This automaker has made its mark among the safest car brands, with fifteen percent of its extensive lineup winning overall five-star ratings from the NHTSA.
Its designs and models are innovative despite losing out in the luxury car brand segments.
Volkswagen pursued several attempts at releasing four-door sports cars, but the customers have the final say.
Notwithstanding, it still went ahead to win the Top Safety Pucks by IIHS in 2017 and 2018 for seven of its models.
A significant drawback for the brand is that only 3.8 percent of its models currently have adaptive cruise control.
Many people consider this feature an essential requirement for safe driving, causing them to refrain from buying Volkswagen vehicles.
Nonetheless, we are seeing improvements in the company’s safety philosophy by developing features like front assist, rear traffic alert, and park assist.
Other features like park pilot, light assist, and blind-spot monitor have found their way to the company’s production line.
15. Infiniti
This brand has put much effort into improving its safety systems resulting in receiving overall five-star NHTSA safety ratings for 15.4 percent of its lineup.
Also, the company has earned the IIHSA Top Safety Pick+ on 15.4 percent of its models.
Infiniti walks tall among other Japanese luxury brands with its systems designed to ensure family safety.
Its engineers have developed unique and advanced technologies such as a moving object detection system, Infiniti intelligent cruise control, and distance control assist.
Other safety features include an around-view monitor and lane departure prevention.
Infiniti developed the SNUG kids’ safety seat to demonstrate its commitment to child safety further.
This industry-first program protects your child with innovative child restraints.
Today, the engineers at Infiniti have installed child restraints in all the rear seats of their current models.
16. Toyota
Our old and trusty Toyota has won overall five-star ratings for over 17 percent of its vehicles.
This pedigree has shown that it is not just about ruggedness but also about safety for passengers.
Its edge over other non-luxury Japanese brands is extensive. Prominent among this brand’s safety features is the Toyota Safety Sense.
The engineers designed it to keep the driver and the passengers safe in almost all the models.
Also, this system supports the driver’s awareness and assists in decision-making regardless of traveling conditions.
The Toyota Safety Sense comes with a pre-collision system, which uses a camera and laser to detect other road users ahead.
Other features include the automatic high beam, lane departure alert, road sign assist, and adaptive cruise control.
Almost all the safety systems in Toyota use cameras in one way or another to execute safe measures.
The road sign assist can read the road signs ahead and display helpful information such as the speed limits and overtaking restrictions.
Furthermore, the automatic high beam uses a camera to detect oncoming traffic and switch between the high and low beams to prevent dazzling.
17. Ford
Ford has its feet in almost the entire American automotive sector, including sports cars, trucks, and luxury cars.
The company has made all forms of vehicles like sedans, hatchbacks, coupes, SUVs, and trucks.
Notwithstanding its widespread reach, Ford has won NHTSA’s five-star rating for more than 19 percent of its models.
The IIHS has given the Top Safety Pick award to 4.3 percent of Ford’s models. Considering the brand’s extensive lineup, these numbers are not discouraging.
What becomes discouraging is when you realize that only 2.1 percent of Ford’s models have a pre-collision system. Come on, Ford; this is not cool.
However, it attempts to make up for the shortfall with adaptive cruise control, rearview cameras, and blind-spot monitoring.
We all know Ford has the budget to conduct serious research and development in automotive safety systems.
Hopefully, it will begin implementing new technologies in its lineup.
18. GMC
GMC’s focus on safety has assured people that the company is not looking to exit the automotive scene.
As the brand looks towards the future of retaining its spot among the safest car brands, over 18 percent of its lineup has earned five-star safety ratings.
This company has a proprietary PRO SAFETY package that comes standard in all its vehicles, helping the driver become aware of potential surrounding hazards.
You get the PRO SAFETY PLUS when you go a notch higher, which brings other advanced safety features.
GMC has lane change alerts, rear cross-traffic alerts, and rear park assist features. If you are thrilled, you can check their official webpage for more information.
Nevertheless, the company focuses on making its mark in the 21st-century auto industry.
Even though GMC is famous for its trucks and SUVs, it has continued to implement top-notch safety systems in its vehicles.
19. Chevrolet
Chevrolet has an exciting lineup of vehicles and pickup trucks. The front pedestrian braking, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, and following distance indicator work to ensure smooth and safe driving.
Other safety systems include the lane departure warning and forward collision alert.
Chevy has about 22.5 percent of its vehicles, among those that earned the NHTSA’s five-star rating.
The number is well above that of its closest competitor, Ford. Maybe it’s time for Ford to step up their safety game.
Chevy has maintained that its post-collision system offerings are one of the best, rolling out over 37 percent of its vehicles.
20. Alpha Romeo
The Italians have been famous for developing vehicles with engineering faults from time to time.
This occurrence has immensely affected its sales records, with many customers choosing to boycott the brand.
Notwithstanding, the company offers safety features like parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, automatic high-beam headlights, and front parking sensors.
Its vehicles may not suit many, but the safety features will protect the driver and passengers.
Conclusion
No matter how visually stunning a car is, it should never compromise the safety of the passengers.
Today, many car brands have developed safety features to protect the occupants and other road users.
It is commendable to see that some of these automakers are spearheading the research and development for safe driving.
Therefore, the entire safety system can only get better with time.
