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Safest Vehicles You Can Buy Right Now
January 1, 2015
Next to price, safety is the most important attribute consumers look for when buying a vehicle. After all, the main purpose of a car is to transport you and your most precious cargo -- your family -- where you need to go, and knowing your vehicle has a top safety rating can give you peace of mind.
To help you figure out which vehicles available today are the safest, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently released the 71 winners of their 2015 Safety Awards. The awards include both Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ vehicles. Both designations are for vehicles with a good or acceptable rating in small overlap front test and good ratings in four other crash evaluations, however, the Top Safety Pick+ is for vehicles that also have frontal crash prevention systems.
2015 Top Safety Pick winners include the Chevrolet Spark, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Kia Optima, Lincoln MKZ, Toyota Avalon, and Infiniti QX60. And Top Safety Pick+ winners include the Toyota Sienna, Volvo XC60, Honda CR-V, Audi A3, Toyota Prius, Mazda 3, and Subaru Impreza. Below is a list of all the 2015 winners.
If you're considering purchasing any of these vehicles, I recommend you use TrueCar No Haggle and CarsDirect to get the best price from local dealers.
2015 Top Safety Pick Winners
| Vehicle | Category | Small Overlap Test Grade | Front Crash Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Equinox | Midsize SUVs | Good | Basic |
| Chevrolet Malibu | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Good | Basic |
| Chevrolet Spark | Minicars | Acceptable | None |
| Chevrolet Volt | Small Cars | Acceptable | Basic |
| Dodge Dart | Small Cars | Acceptable | None |
| Ford C-Max Hybrid | Small Cars | Acceptable | None |
| Ford Focus | Small Cars | Acceptable | None |
| Ford Fusion | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Acceptable | Basic |
| GMC Terrain | Midsize SUVs | Good | Basic |
| Honda Accord 2-Door | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Good | Basic |
| Honda Accord 4-Door | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Good | Basic |
| Honda Civic 2-Door | Small Cars | Good | None |
| Honda Civic 4-Door | Small Cars | Good | Basic |
| Honda Fit | Minicars | Acceptable | None |
| Honda Odyssey | Minivans | Good | Basic |
| Hyundai Elantra Sedan | Small Cars | Acceptable | None |
| Hyundai Sonata | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Acceptable | Basic |
| Infiniti QX60 | Midsize Luxury SUVs | Good | Basic |
| Kia Optima | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Acceptable | None |
| Kia Sedona | Minivans | Good | Basic |
| Kia Soul | Small Cars | Good | None |
| Lincoln MKZ | Midsize Luxury Cars | Acceptable | Basic |
| Mini Cooper Countryman | Small Cars | Good | None |
| Mitsubishi Lancer (except Ralliart & Evolution) | Small Cars | Acceptable | None |
| Mitsubishi Outlander Sport | Small SUVs | Acceptable | None |
| Nissan Altima | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Acceptable | None |
| Nissan Pathfinder | Midsize SUVs | Good | None |
| Nissan Rogue | Small SUVs | Good | Basic |
| Scion FR-S | Small Cars | Acceptable | None |
| Scion tC | Small Cars | Acceptable | None |
| Subaru BRZ | Small Cars | Acceptable | None |
| Subaru WRX | Small Cars | Good | None |
| Toyota Avalon | Large Family Cars | Good | Basic |
| Toyota RAV4 (built after Nov 2014) | Small SUVs | Good | None |
| Volkswagen Golf | Small Cars | Good | Basic |
| Volkswagen GTI 4-Door | Small Cars | Good | Basic |
| Volkswagen Jetta | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Good | Basic |
| Volkswagen Passat | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Acceptable | None |
2015 Top Safety Pick+ Winners (includes Frontal Crash Prevention)
| Vehicle | Category | Small Overlap Test Grade | Front Crash Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acura MDX | Midsize Luxury SUVs | Good | Advanced |
| Acura RLX | Large Luxury Cars | Good | Advanced |
| Acura TLX | Midsize Luxury Cars | Acceptable | Superior |
| Audi A3 | Midsize Luxury Cars | Good | Advanced |
| BWM 2 Series | Midsize Luxury Cars | Good | Advanced |
| Chrysler 200 | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Good | Superior |
| Honda CR-V | Small SUVs | Good | Superior |
| Hyundai Genesis | Large Luxury Cars | Good | Superior |
| Infiniti Q50 | Midsize Luxury Cars | Acceptable | Superior |
| Infiniti Q70 (except V-8 4WD) | Large Luxury Cars | Good | Superior |
| Lexus CT 200h (Built after Sept. 2014) | Small Cars | Good | Advanced |
| Lexus NX | Midsize Luxury SUVs | Good | Advanced |
| Lexus RC | Large Luxury Cars | Good | Advanced |
| Mazda 3 | Small Cars | Good | Advanced |
| Mazda 6 | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Acceptable | Advanced |
| Mazda CX-5 | Small SUVs | Good | Advanced |
| Mercedes-Benz E-Class | Large Luxury Cars | Good | Superior |
| Mercedes-Benz M-Class | Midsize Luxury SUVs | Good | Superior |
| Mitsubishi Outlander | Small SUVs | Good | Advanced |
| Subaru Forester | Small SUVs | Good | Superior |
| Subaru Impreza | Small Cars | Good | Superior |
| Subaru Legacy | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Good | Superior |
| Subaru Outback | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Good | Superior |
| Subaru XV Crosstrek | Small Cars | Good | Superior |
| Toyota Camry | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Good | Advanced |
| Toyota Highlander | Midsize SUVs | Acceptable | Advanced |
| Toyota Prius | Small Cars | Acceptable | Advanced |
| Toyota Prius v | Midsize Moderately Priced Cars | Good | Advanced |
| Toyota Sienna | Minivan | Acceptable | Advanced |
| Volvo S60 | Midsize Luxury Cars | Good | Superior |
| Volvo S80 | Large Luxury Cars | Good | Superior |
| Volvo V60 | Midsize Luxury Cars | Good | Superior |
| Volvo XC60 | Midsize Luxury SUVs | Good | Superior |
3 Steps Every Car Buyer Needs to Take to Save Maximum Money
The key to getting the best deal is to gather price or lease bids from as many local dealers as possible. Then shop that best price around until no one can beat it. Here are the steps:Step 1 Get Prices From My Trusted Network
Select the vehicle you're interested in to see if there are local dealers in my network who will provide you with their best upfront price. You will get direct access to an internet sales manager who you can further negotiate with online (no need to visit dealership).Select Vehicle to Get Local Pricing
Step 2 Get Prices From TrueCar / CarsDirect
TrueCar, and CarsDirect are my top 2 online price quote recommendations. These services show you pre-negotiated prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually pretty decent. But remember, you can still negotiate further.Step 3 Complete my Checklist
Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.- Gregg Fidan
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About The Author
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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