The 39 Safest Cars for 2014

If you're in the market for a new car, you'll want to make sure to read this -- the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced the 39 vehicles that made the list for its 2014 Safety Awards.

According to the IIHS, 22 of those vehicles earned their highest safety award for 2014 -- "Top Safety Pick+" -- due to their high level of crash protection and availability of technology to help avoid collisions in the first place. Another 17 earned "Top Safety Pick" by meeting their "crashworthiness" criteria. Additionally, the IIHS used new criteria for their awards this year, including tests for roof strength and overlaps on the front and sides.

Below are this year's winners, which include the Honda Civic, Ford Focus, Toyota Prius and Hyundai Elantra. For those wondering why the Tesla Model S is not on the list, that's because IIHS typically does not test high-end luxury/sports cars.

If you're considering adding any of these top safety picks to your garage, make sure to use the free RydeShopper to get the biggest discounts on these vehicles. And be sure to check out TrueCar Pre-Negotiated Prices to compare real prices where you live.

2014 Top Safety Pick+

2014 Top Safety Pick