The Safest and Deadliest Used Vehicles
The safety of a vehicle is one of the most important factors to consider when making a purchase. After all, big savings and lots of bells and whistles are not going to do you any good if the car you're driving does not keep you and your loved ones safe.
To help car buyers figure out which used cars are safe and which are not, Forbes recently did an interesting study to see which models had the lowest and highest rates of death according to data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Interestingly, there are 9 models sold between 2009 and 2012 that have had ZERO deaths attributed to them. At the top of the safe list are the likes of the Audi A4, Honda Odyssey, Kia Sorento and Lexus RX 350 AWD, all with zero deaths reported since 2011.
Below is the full list of 19 safest used vehicles, as well as 19 used vehicles with the most driver fatalities.
Safest Used Vehicles
| Rank | Vehicle | Category | Driver Deaths (per million registered)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Audi A4 AWD | Midsize luxury sedan | 0 |
| 2 | Honda Odyssey | Minivan | 0 |
| 3 | Kia Sorento | Midsize SUV | 0 |
| 4 | Lexus RX 350 AWD | Midsize luxury SUV | 0 |
| 5 | Mercedes-Benz GL-Class 4WD | Large luxury SUV | 0 |
| 6 | Subaru Legacy AWD 4-Door | Midsize sedan | 0 |
| 7 | Toyota Highlander Hybrid AWD | Midsize SUV | 0 |
| 8 | Toyota Sequoia 4WD | Large SUV | 0 |
| 9 | Volvo XC90 AWD | Midsize luxury SUV | 0 |
| 10 | Honda Pilot AWD | Midsize SUV | 2 |
| 11 | Mercedes-Benz M-Class 4WD | Midsize luxury SUV | 3 |
| 12 | Ford Crown Victoria | Large sedan | 4 |
| 13 | GMC Yukon 4WD | Large SUV | 4 |
| 14 | Acura TL | Midsize luxury car | 5 |
| 15 | Chevrolet Equinox | Midsize SUV | 5 |
| 16 | Chevrolet Equinox AWD | Midsize SUV | 5 |
| 17 | Ford Expedition 4WD | Large SUV | 5 |
| 18 | Ford Flex | Midsize SUV | 5 |
| 19 | Mazda CX-9 AWD | Midsize SUV | 5 |
Riskiest Used Vehicles
| Rank | Vehicle | Category | Driver Deaths (per million registered)** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kia Rio 4-Door | Subcompact | 149 |
| 2 | Nissan Versa | Subcompact sedan | 130 |
| 3 | Hyundai Accent 4-Door | Subcompact | 120 |
| 4 | Chevrolet Aveo 4-Door | Subcompact | 99 |
| 5 | Hyundai Accent 2-Door | Subcompact | 86 |
| 6 | Chevrolet Camaro | Sports coupe | 80 |
| 7 | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab 4WD | Pickup | 79 |
| 8 | Honda Civic | Compact coupe | 76 |
| 9 | Nissan Versa | Subcompact hatchback | 71 |
| 10 | Ford Focus 4-Door | Compact | 70 |
| 11 | Nissan Cube | Compact station wagon | 66 |
| 12 | Chevrolet HHR | Compact station wagon | 61 |
| 13 | Chevrolet Suburban | Full-size SUV | 60 |
| 14 | Chevrolet Aveo | Subcompact hatchback | 58 |
| 15 | Mercury Grand Marquis | Full-size sedan | 57 |
| 16 | Jeep Patriot | Compact SUV | 57 |
| 17 | Mazda Mazda6 | Midsize sedan | 54 |
| 18 | Dodge Nitro | Midsize SUV | 51 |
| 19 | Honda Civic | Compact sedan | 49 |
My Recommendation for Car Shoppers
TrueCar, Edmunds, and 1-800 Car Show are the quickest way to see the lowest car prices in your area. These sites show you no-haggle prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually really good. This should be the first step you take when negotiating your car price. Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.California Residents - Important:
There is a new online car buying service called Roadster, available only to California residents, which I highly recommend you try - especially if you hate the stress of haggling with a car salesman. They provide an expert concierge who negotiates the price of the car and delivers it to your home with zero hassle - you never have to interact with a dealership. Here is my in-depth review of Roadster and why I recommend it.- Gregg Fidan
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About: Gregg Fidan
Gregg Fidan + is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.
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