20 cars with the highest driver death rates
Shcherbyna Nataliia // Shutterstock
20 cars with the highest driver death rates
Person driving Ford Fiesta, view of steering wheel and interior.
Buying a car requires weighing the importance of several different factors, from miles per gallon to a sleek design to the all-important price. Chief among these considerations is safety: In fact, a 2022 survey conducted by Statista found that consumers ranked safety the second-most important factor in buying a car, only trailing behind fuel efficiency by 1 percentage point.
For many drivers, safety really comes into play in the event that you get into a crash. Ideally, you want a vehicle that will protect you from harm, even if you end up hitting another car or an obstacle. To find out which cars on the market statistically performed worse in accidents, Stacker used data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to find the 20 passenger vehicles with the highest driver death rates.
Death rates are measured as estimated driver deaths per 1 million registered vehicle years, each of which is measured as one vehicle registered for one year. Rates are also adjusted based on driver ages and genders. Any ties were broken by the rate of multiple-vehicle crashes that resulted in driver deaths. The overall death rate for passenger vehicles is about 36 per million registration years, or 26 per 10 billion vehicle miles traveled, according to the data.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released the data in May 2020, primarily comparing 2017 vehicle models, but expanded results to earlier model years for more data in cases where the vehicle wasn’t substantially redesigned during that time. Death rate estimates were created using statistical modeling, which is prone to some level of error: Confidence interval ranges are provided, and the actual values have a 95% chance of being within that range based on the institute’s analysis.
Keep reading to discover which models have the highest driver death rates—it might be important information to consider next time you take a car out for a test drive.
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#20. Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 4WD
A white Mitsubishi Outlander on a dirt road.
– Body type: Small SUV
– Driver deaths: 67* per million registered vehicle years
— 45 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 21 in single-vehicle crashes
— 5 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 12-122
RickDeacon // Shutterstock
#19. Nissan Maxima
A white Nissan Maxima in a showroom.
– Body type: Midsize 4-door car
– Driver deaths: 68* per million registered vehicle years
— 33 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 38 in single-vehicle crashes
— 4 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 27-109
Art Konovalov // Shutterstock
#18. Buick Verano
A black Buick Verano.
– Body type: Midsize 4-door car
– Driver deaths: 68* per million registered vehicle years
— 35 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 33 in single-vehicle crashes
— 14 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 34-102
VanderWolf Images // Shutterstock
#17. Ford Focus
A blue Ford Focus in a showroom.
– Body type: Small 4-door car
– Driver deaths: 68* per million registered vehicle years
— 48 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 19 in single-vehicle crashes
— 9 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 52-84
Tilted Hat Productions // Shutterstock
#16. Kia Soul
A gray Kia Soul in the desert.
– Body type: Small station wagon
– Driver deaths: 70* per million registered vehicle years
— 50 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 19 in single-vehicle crashes
— 10 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 52-87
Walter Eric Sy // Shutterstock
#15. Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback
An orange Mitsubishi Mirage in a showroom.
– Body type: Mini 4-door car
– Driver deaths: 72* per million registered vehicle years
— 52 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 18 in single-vehicle crashes
— 5 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 28-115
betto rodrigues // Shutterstock
#14. Chevrolet Trax 2WD
A red Chevrolet Trax in a showroom.
– Body type: Small SUV
– Driver deaths: 73* per million registered vehicle years
— 40 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 37 in single-vehicle crashes
— 20 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 32-114
Elfangor // Shutterstock
#13. Chevrolet Sonic
A silver Chevrolet Sonic on a country road.
– Body type: Small station wagon
– Driver deaths: 74* per million registered vehicle years
— 59 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 13 in single-vehicle crashes
— 13 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 36-111
Roman Korotkov // Shutterstock
#12. Nissan Sentra
A white Nissan Sentra on a desert road with mountains in the background at sunset.
– Body type: Small 4-door car
– Driver deaths: 81* per million registered vehicle years
— 53 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 26 in single-vehicle crashes
— 11 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 65-96
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#11. Ford Mustang GT coupe
A black Ford Mustang Coupe in a parking garage.
– Body type: Midsize sports car
– Driver deaths: 81* per million registered vehicle years
— 58 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 23 in single-vehicle crashes
— 12 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 43-119
Best Auto Photo // Shutterstock
#10. Hyundai Accent
A brown Hyundai Accent.
– Body type: Mini station wagon
– Driver deaths: 81* per million registered vehicle years
— 64 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 17 in single-vehicle crashes
— 9 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 41-121
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#9. Kia Rio
A silver Kia Rio on the road in front of a field of yellow flowers.
– Body type: Mini 4-door car
– Driver deaths: 87* per million registered vehicle years
— 51 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 38 in single-vehicle crashes
— 0 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 40-134
The Global Guy // Shutterstock
#8. Nissan Versa
A silver Nissan Versa.
– Body type: Small 4-door car
– Driver deaths: 88* per million registered vehicle years
— 49 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 42 in single-vehicle crashes
— 14 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 66-111
Steve Lagreca // Shutterstock
#7. Kia Forte
A red Kia Forte on a showroom floor.
– Body type: Small 4-door car
– Driver deaths: 89* per million registered vehicle years
— 63 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 24 in single-vehicle crashes
— 2 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 64-114
Haggardous50000 // Shutterstock
#6. Hyundai Elantra
A silver Hyundai Elantra speeding down a road.
– Body type: Small 4-door car
– Driver deaths: 89* per million registered vehicle years
— 71 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 15 in single-vehicle crashes
— 9 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 44-133
katuka // Shutterstock
#5. Fiat 500
A black Fiat 500 parked in front of a rural field.
– Body type: Mini 2-door car
– Driver deaths: 95* per million registered vehicle years
— 60 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 38 in single-vehicle crashes
— 37 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 25-165
Zoran Karapancev // Shutterstock
#4. Nissan Versa Note
A blue Nissan Versa Note in a showroom.
– Body type: Small station wagon
– Driver deaths: 96* per million registered vehicle years
— 80 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 12 in single-vehicle crashes
— 7 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 65-127
Elfangor // Shutterstock
#3. Chevrolet Sonic
A silver Chevrolet Sonic on a country road.
– Body type: Small 4-door car
– Driver deaths: 98* per million registered vehicle years
— 64 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 34 in single-vehicle crashes
— 10 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 64-132
Best Auto Photo // Shutterstock
#2. Hyundai Accent
A brown Hyundai Accent.
– Body type: Mini 4-door car
– Driver deaths: 116* per million registered vehicle years
— 85 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 28 in single-vehicle crashes
— 9 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 74-158
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#1. Ford Fiesta
A white Ford Fiesta parked next to a bridge with blue lights.
– Body type: Mini 4-door car
– Driver deaths: 141* per million registered vehicle years
— 98 in multiple-vehicle crashes
— 46 in single-vehicle crashes
— 13 in single-vehicle rollovers
*95% confidence range: 94-189
Data reporting by Paxtyn Merten. Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.
