Anyone who wants the safest car they can get, and to feel safe in it · Updated November 2026

The Safest New Cars, and the Security Settings to Check Before You Buy

The current models that earn both NHTSA's five stars and the IIHS's top award, by type of car, plus the lock, key and camera settings to try on a test drive.

The short version

• Pass both tests. NHTSA (the federal government) and the IIHS (an insurance-industry research group) crash cars in different ways. The cars below earn the best result from each: five stars overall from NHTSA in every version it rated, and the IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+.
• There's one for most needs. The list runs from small cars like the Kia K4 and Mazda 3 to three-row SUVs like the Hyundai Palisade and Subaru Ascent.
• No pickup passes both yet. The Toyota Tundra comes closest, with five stars and the IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK.
• Crash ratings don't cover security. How the doors lock and unlock, how the key works and what the cameras show are settings and options. Check them on a test drive using the list further down.

The safest picks, by type of car

Ordered by NHTSA's frontal crash result, then rollover, then side. For every current model's ratings, including the ones that pass only one test, see the full table in our older-driver guide.

Security: what to check on a test drive

None of this shows up in a crash rating, and much of it is a setting rather than a feature. Ask the salesperson to show you, or look in the owner's manual under "locks" or "settings".

Locks

• Locking when you drive off. Most new cars can lock every door once you're moving. Check it's switched on.
• Locking when you walk away. Some cars lock themselves when the key leaves, so you never wonder whether you pressed the button.
• What unlocks in Park. Many cars unlock every door when you shift into Park. If you'd rather stay locked in until you choose to get out, look for a setting to turn that off or limit it to the driver's door.
• Driver's door first. Many cars can be set so one press of the key unlocks only the driver's door and a second press unlocks the rest.

The key

• Keyless entry can be copied from a distance. Thieves have used relay devices to pass a key's signal from inside a house to a car on the driveway. Keep the key away from the front door, or in a signal-blocking pouch. Some keys go to sleep when they stop moving, and some cars let you switch keyless entry off.
• Buying used? Ask about the immobilizer. Some Hyundai and Kia models from about 2011 to 2022 with a turn-key ignition were built without an engine immobilizer, which made them easy to steal. Both makers offer a free software update. Ask whether it has been done.

Seeing around the car

• 360° camera. A view from above, stitched from cameras around the car. It shows what's beside and behind you before you open a door or back out.
• Rear cross-traffic alert. Warns when a car or person is coming across behind you while you reverse out of a space, before you can see them.
• Blind-spot warning. A light in the mirror when something is beside you. Many new cars have it as standard; check the trim you're looking at.
• Headlights. The IIHS tests headlights as part of its awards, which is one more reason to favor the cars above for driving at night.

If something goes wrong

• Automatic crash calls. Many cars can call for help on their own after an airbag goes off. On some it needs a paid connected-car plan after a free trial; ask how long the trial lasts and what it costs after.
• Sharing your location. The same apps often let family see where the car is. Decide who should have that, and check how to turn it off.