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Top Safety Picks for 2018

December 14, 2017

This week, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released a list of cars, SUVS, minivan, and pickup trucks that were awarded a 2018 Top Safety Pick.

To earn a Top Safety Pick, the vehicle has to get good ratings in the small-overlap front crash test, moderate-overlap and side crash test, as well as roof-strenght and head-restraint test. They also have to perform well in frontal-crash prevention - either with standard or automatic braking.

Among the top safety picks, Subaru and Hyundai (including Genesis brand) lead with nine winners. See the full list below. If safety is a top priority, you should be considering these vehicles.

As always, if you're shopping for a new car right now, I recommend you use TrueCar No Haggle and CarsDirect to quickly see the best deals being offered in your area.

2018 Top Safety Pick+ Award Winners

2018 BMW 5 series
2018 Genesis G80
2018 Genesis G90
2018 Hyundai Santa Fe
2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
2018 Kia Forte sedan
2018 Kia Soul
2018 Lincoln Continental
2018 Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan
2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC
2018 Subaru Impreza 4-Door Sedan
2018 Subaru Impreza 4-Door Wagon
2018 Subaru Legacy
2018 Subaru Outback
2018 Subaru WRX
2018 Toyota Camry

Some cars perform well in IIHS' tests but their headlights don't pass the tests or they didn't get good marks on the passenger side small overlap crash test. These cars earn the Top Safety Pick award—without the +.

2018 Top Safety Pick Award Winners

2018 Acura MDX
2018 Acura RDX
2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia
2018 Audi A3
2018 Audi A4
2018 BMW 3 Series Sedan
2018 Buick Envision
2018 Chevrolet Volt
2018 Chrysler Pacifica
2018 Honda Accord
2018 Honda CR-V
2018 Honda Odyssey
2018 Honda Pilot
2018 Honda Ridgeline
2018 Hyundai Elantra
2018 Hyundai Elantra GT
2018 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid
2018 Hyundai Sonata
2018 Hyundai Tucson
2018 Kia Cadenza
2018 Kia Optima
2018 Kia Sorento
2018 Kia Sportage
2018 Lexus ES
2018 Lexus IS
2018 Lexus NX
2018 Lexus RX
2018 Mazda 3 4-Door Hatchback
2018 Mazda 3 4-Door Sedan
2018 Mazda CX-3
2018 Mazda CX-5
2018 Mazda CX-9
2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class
2018 Mitsubishi Outlander
2018 Nissan Altima
2018 Nissan Maxima
2018 Nissan Rogue
2018 Subaru Crosstrek
2018 Subaru Forester
2018 Toyota Avalon
2018 Toyota Corolla
2018 Toyota Highlander
2018 Toyota Prius
2018 Toyota Prius Prime
2018 Toyota RAV4
2018 Volvo S60
2018 Volvo V60
2018 Volvo XC60

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

Each week, I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes...

Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
Which Cars You Should Avoid

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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