What is the most crashed car in America?

If you’re in the market for a new car, you’ll want to ensure that you and your family are as safe as possible when you’re out on the road. You likely understand that some vehicles have a higher safety rating than others. 

Driving a safer vehicle can reduce your insurance rates, especially if you’ve been in an accident. 

What is the most crashed car in America? We researched several safety and insurance reports to find the least safe cars in the U.S. This guide discusses driver death rates by make and model and breaks down car accident statistics and insurance rates so you can buy the safest new car for your family.

What are the most crashed cars in America?

When looking for the most crashed car in America, we researched the highest rates of driver deaths per make and model with statistics provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The Ford Fiesta tops the list with 141 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years. 

The Hyundai Accent follows with 116, then the Chevrolet Sonic with 98, the Nissan Versa Note with 96, and the Fiat 500 with 95.

These statistics are from 2017, and the IIHS only publishes data every few years. Typically, it can only access vehicle registration data from each model year about two years after release, with accident data taking approximately one additional year to gather. 

The IIHS does point out that unless the company has redesigned the vehicle, previous year results would be a good predictor of current model performance.

Collision Insurance Losses by Vehicle Type

This body also publishes a list showing collision losses by make and model, indicating the rate of crashes per vehicle type. It analyzes how likely owners of particular vehicles are to claim collision insurance losses. 

The Mitsubishi Mirage G4 was 79% more likely to have claims than all cars in the mini category. For the small car class, the Honda Civic Type R hatchback was 48% more likely to have collision claims.

The Kia Optima hybrid was the worst performer at 72% in the mid-size class, while the Dodge Charger models fared poorly in the large vehicle category, closely followed by the Kia Stinger.

What is the safest car type?

We examined crash test performance by category for various makes and models to determine the safest car type. The IIHS develops a list of top safety picks using annual crash test data. The body does not single out individual vehicles but has as many as 25 “winners” in each vehicle category.

While small cars like the Ford Fiesta and Hyundai Accent are among the most wrecked cars in America, SUVs head the list of vehicles with the lowest driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.

The GMC Yukon XL, the Infiniti QX 60, and the Lexus NX 200t are the safest car types, while the Subaru Outback is the leading station wagon.

What is the safest small car? The Nissan Leaf leads the safety ratings for small, four-door cars.

How To Save Money on Insurance for the Most Crashed Cars in America

Insurance companies use a range of different variables when setting rates. The factors that affect car insurance rates the most are your age, gender, ZIP code, and driving history. 

If you drive one of the most crashed cars in America, these statistics are not likely to make a significant difference regarding your auto insurance quotes. However, you will definitely pay higher rates if you’ve been in an accident. 

You may want to buy a vehicle with high safety ratings and reduced insurance costs if you have accidents or reckless driving tickets on your record. 

Some government bodies publish statistics showing collision losses, driver death rates, and how individual vehicles perform in crash tests. These statistics can help you to decide whether to buy a particular make and model of vehicle.