Posted on February 10, 2016 by Sean Jackson

As a buyer, a vehicleâ€s safety rating is a crucial and complex component to consider. It concerns not only physical equipment, but also a carâ€s performance in challenging environments. With this in mind, AxleGeeks sought to identify the most dangerous car brands by studying the percentage of model lines within each brand that earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick or the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ awards.

The IIHS awards its Top Safety Pick accolades to vehicles based on a crashworthiness rating that considers small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraints and seats. To be a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn a “good” rating in each category as well as a basic rating for front crash prevention. To receive the Top Safety Pick+ rating, a model must exceed the Top Safety Pick criteria and obtain an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention.

Using this information, AxleGeeks composed a list of the brands with the fewest model lines scoring Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards, and created a combined percentage based on each brand’s performance in each category. Using that metric, we ranked each brand from least to most dangerous. Because high-end brands like Porsche, Jaguar, Maserati, and Land Rover often do not test their cars with IIHS and do not receive ratings, they are not included in the study.

#15. Hyundai

Percent of Vehicles with the IIHS Top Safety Pick Rating: 10.7 percent
Percent of Vehicles with the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Rating: 21.4 percent
Percent of Model Lines with IIHS Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+: 32.1 percent

Over 21 percent of Hyundai vehicles earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, placing it above Kia, which received the same honor across only 12 percent of its models. Though both are non-luxury brands, only 32.1 percent of Hyundaiâ€s vehicles receive one honor from the IIHS, while Kia averages 36 percent.

#14. Chrysler

Top Safety Pick: None
Top Safety Pick+: 28.6 percent
Combined: 28.6 percent

The IIHS bestowed its Top Safety Pick+ honor to 28.6 percent of Chrysler‘s lineup, the greatest proportion of any brand featured in this list. Such a seemingly notable success fades when compared to the combined percentage of all non-luxury brands, which sits at 30.5 percent.

#13. Infiniti

Top Safety Pick: 7.1 percent
Top Safety Pick+: 21.4 percent
Combined: 28.5 percent

Nearly 29 percent of Infiniti models receive at least one IIHS Top Safety Pick selection, a stark contrast to other Japanese luxury brands, which average 39.4 percent.

#12. Nissan

Top Safety Pick: 15.8 percent
Top Safety Pick+: 10.5 percent
Combined: 26.3 percent

As a brand, Nissan truly falls short in safety performance: Only 26.3 percent of its models earned accolades from the IIHS, while Japanese non-luxury brands average 47.5 percent on the whole.

#11. Buick

Top Safety Pick: 25 percent
Top Safety Pick+: None
Combined: 25 percent

A mere 25 percent of Buick‘s vehicle line earn IIHS Top Safety Picks. While 25 percent is certainly a low score industry-wide, only 16 percent of all American non-luxury brand lineups receive IIHS honors, placing Buick at the top of its less-than-prestigious group.

#10. Ford

Top Safety Pick: 21.3 percent
Top Safety Pick+: None
Combined: 21.3 percent

Approximately 21 percent of Ford models received IIHS awards, a high for American brands, which average 13.9 percent. However, when compared to all non-luxury vehicles, of which 30.5 percent earn honors, Ford simply cannot compete.

#9. Chevrolet

Top Safety Pick: 20.5 percent
Top Safety Pick+: None
Combined: 20.5 percent

With 20.5 percent of its models receiving Top Safety Pick selections from the IIHS, Chevrolet scores higher than average against American competitors but, like Ford and Buick, falls short when compared to the 30.5 percent average of all non-luxury brands.

#8. FIAT

Top Safety Pick: None
Top Safety Pick+: 14.3 percent
Combined: 14.3 percent

The IIHS awarded 14.3 percent of Fiat‘s models with Safety Pick awards, making Fiat a standout competitor among other Italian brands, which average 3.8 percent. However, it falls greatly behind the 30.5 percent average of all non-luxury brands.

#7. Audi

Top Safety Pick: 2.1 percent
Top Safety Pick+: 10.6 percent
Combined: 12.7 percent

Over 10 percent of Audi models earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, giving it a sizable advantage over the 5.8 percent average of German luxury brands earning the same honors. Still, Audi fails to meet the 13.6 percent average of all luxury brands.

#6. GMC

Top Safety Pick: 11.1 percent
Top Safety Pick+: None
Combined: 11.1 percent

Only 11.1 percent of GMC‘s lineup earned any IIHS honors, making GMC a weak competitor even among its American counterparts, which average 16 percent per vehicle lineup.

#5. MINI

Top Safety Pick: 10 percent
Top Safety Pick+: None
Combined: 10 percent

Among the ten model lines considered in this study, only one received an IIHS Top Safety Pick selection. While 10 percent places MINI above the average of British brands, which sits at a low 2.4 percent, the brand still falls far behind the 30.5 percent average of all non-luxury brands.

#4. Mercedes-Benz

Top Safety Pick: 2.8 percent
Top Safety Pick+: 5.6 percent
Combined: 8.4 percent

Only 8.4 percent of Mercedes-Benz models earned awards from the IIHS, a low average given 11.5 percent of its German competitors earned the same award.

#3. Lincoln

Top Safety Pick: 8.3 percent
Top Safety Pick+: None
Combined: 8.3 percent

Like other American brands, Lincoln models fall short in safety performance, with only 8.3 percent of its models receiving IIHS honors. While Lincoln models handily defeat other American competitors, of which only 3 percent earn IIHS recognition, the brand fails to reach the 14.9 percent average among all luxury brands.

#2. Dodge

Top Safety Pick: 7.1 percent
Top Safety Pick+: None
Combined: 7.1 percent

According to IIHS ratings, Dodge is the most dangerous American car brand: Only 7.1 percent of its automobiles earning Safety Pick selections from the IIHS, a precipitous drop from the 16 percent average among all American non-luxury brands.

#1. BMW

Top Safety Pick: None
Top Safety Pick+: 3.4 percent
Combined: 3.4 percent

The IIHS awarded only 3.4 percent of BMW‘s model line with any recognition, a significant drop from the 14.9 percent average of all luxury brands.

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The post

15 Most Dangerous Car Brands

A car’s safety equipment and crash-test performance can play a pivotal role in shaping your buying decision; this is why finding the safest brands can aid you in selecting a vehicle that gives you peace of mind.

To find the safest car brands, AxleGeeks took into account the percentage of 2015-2016 vehicles per brand that earned a five-star overall rating with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Moreover, we also looked at the ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which assigns top safety pick ratings to vehicles that display high levels of protection and offer crash-prevention technology. Lastly, we compared different safety offerings each manufacturer equips its models with to identify which brands offer the most safety features across their vehicle lineups.

Based on the compiled information, here are the 15 safest car brands.

The German manufacturer made the list because 15.4 percent of its vehicles earned a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, giving it a slight edge over other German non-luxury brands.

However, Volkswagen equips only 3.8 percent of its models with adaptive cruise control, resulting in a significant disadvantage when compared to all German brands — where 33.8 percent of vehicles come with this safety feature.

Over 17 percent of Toyotaâ€s vehicles earned a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA, allowing it to have an advantage over non-luxury Japanese brands, where the average per lineup is 15.7 percent.

Toyota also equips 27.5 percent of its vehicles with a pre-collision safety system, while the average for all Japanese non-luxury brands is 25 percent.

GMC’s safety offerings illustrate its high level of commitment to supplying safe vehicles, as 18.8 percent of its lineup earned a five-star overall safety rating, putting it right in line with the average for other American non-luxury brands.

Meanwhile, GMC offers head-up display in 18.8 percent of its models; only 2.5 percent of other American non-luxury brand lineups offer this feature.

Over 19 percent of Fordâ€s lineup earned a five-star safety rating from the NHTSA. Adding to this is Ford’s sizeable advantage over other American non-luxury brands: 4.3 percent of its vehicles earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick award while its competitors averaged 2.5 percent per lineup.

Moreover, more Ford vehicles come with adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and rearview cameras than the competition. However, to its detriment, only 2.1 percent of Ford’s models come with a pre-collision system, which is woefully short when compared to all non-luxury brands, where the average is 10.2 percent per brand lineup.

In total, 22.5 percent of Chevy’s lineup earned a five-star overall NHTSA safety rating, giving it a slight edge on competitors like Ford.

Chevy shines with its post-collision system offerings, as 37.5 percent of its vehicles come equipped with this system — 23 percent of other American brand lineups come with a similar feature.

Volvo had 7.1 percent of its lineup earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Rating, putting it among the best brands in this regard. Volvo stands apart from other brands by equipping more of its vehicles with adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning and rearview cameras.

Its NTSA five-star average of 28.6 percent is over double the average for luxury brand lineups.

For a luxury brand, Cadillac touts an array of safe vehicles, as 31.6 percent of its models earned a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA.

Compared to the 11.5 percent average for all luxury brands, Cadillac has a significant advantage in safety performance. Additionally, 26.3 percent of its vehicles come with a pre-collision safety system. By comparison, 11.8 percent of luxury brand models offer this.

Nearly 5 percent of Kiaâ€s vehicles have the IIHS Top Safety Rating whereas the average for all non-luxury brands is 3.3 percent. Adding to Kiaâ€s favor is the fact it offers more vehicles with adaptive cruise control and head-up display than the average for its competition.

A high 33 percent of Kia’s fleet received a five-star NHTSA overall rating.

Over 8 percent of Lincolnâ€s vehicles have the Top Safety Pick Rating from the IIHS. This is an impressive achievement when you consider that, for all American luxury brands, the average is 3 percent per lineup.

Lincoln offers more safety equipment per model. As an illustration, 33.3 percent of its models come with blind-spot monitoring while the average is 16.9 percent for other luxury brands.

Safety is an integral part of Hondaâ€s design, resulting in 35.3 percent of its lineup earning a five-star NHTSA overall safety rating. Whatâ€s more, Honda is second among all brands for its IIHS Top Safety Pick Ratings, with 11.8 percent of its vehicles making the list.

Nearly 18 percent of Honda’s vehicles come with blind-spot monitoring compared to the 10.4 percent average per lineup for other Japanese non-luxury brands.

Across the board, Subaru excels in safety accolades. Nearly 36 percent of its vehicles received a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA, while 7.1 percent had the honor of gaining the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Rating.

Furthermore, Subaru tops the charts for its percent of vehicles with the IIHS Top Safety Pick Rating, at 14.3 percent. On average Subaru equips 42.9 percent of its models with adaptive cruise control. By comparison, all non-luxury brands average 14.8 percent for this feature.

Over 39 percent of Hyundai’s lineup earned a five-star NHTSA overall safety rating. An area of improvement for Hyundai moving forward is increased adaptive cruise control. Currently, it equips just 7.1 percent of its models with this feature, equating to less than half the 14.8 percent average of all non-luxury brand lineups.

Buickâ€s brand overhaul continues, as itâ€s second on the list with 50 percent of its models earning a five-star NHTSA overall rating. Buick equips 16.7 percent of its models with a pre-collision safety system, earning it an advantage over the 10.2 percent average for all non-luxury brands.

Acura does a remarkable job developing vehicles with exceptional safety performance. Nearly 73 percent of its models have a five-star NHTSA overall safety rating, while 18.2 percent earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick+, making the brand the safest among vehicle manufacturers.

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The post THE 15 SAFEST CAR BRANDS first appeared on River View Observer.