The 20 most dangerous vehicles on the road
Forget crash tests and simulations - based on real-world data, these are the 20 least-safe cars and trucks:
20.
Hyundai Elantra (80 deaths per million )
Type: Four-door car, small
It seems like the smaller end of the size spectrum doesn't hold up as well in crashes as bigger cars. The Hyundai Elantra unfortunately suffers in its score from not having standard safety systems like ABS and traction control. According to the IIHS, it suffered most in multi-vehicle crashes compared to its class rivals.
19
Ford Ranger (81)
Type: 2WD pickup, small
The Ford Ranger has been essentially unchanged for nearly 20 years now, and while it has been updated with some basic safety features, it still lags far behind the latest technology. Like the Elantra, its deaths in multi-vehicle collisions were far and away the worst small rear-wheel-drive pickup. While many will complain over its departure from the market for its fuel-efficiency and affordable pricetag, the roads will be a safer place.
18
Nissan Maxima (82)
Type: Four-door car, midsize
It's unclear why the midsize Nissan Maxima scores so poorly, but its single-vehicle crash scores are some of the poorest around. In fact, it's the first of six Nissan products to appear on the list of unsafe vehicles, which isn't the most encouraging fact for new buyers to discover.
17
Mitsubishi Galant (82)
Type: Four-door car, midsize
The mid-sized Galant sedan is departing the market soon, and judging by these numbers, it won't be soon enough. Built on an aging chassis that was never a cutting edge design, the Mitsubishi never had the sophisticated safety systems of its peers.
16
Mitsubishi Eclipse (83)
Type: Two-door car, midsize
Seeing as the Eclipse is based on the same mechanicals as the Galant sedan, it's not surprising that this two-door coupe has the same issues with crash-worthiness. It does very poorly in single-vehicle crashes and has a shockingly large rollover ratio for what's supposed to be a car with a low centre of gravity.
15
Subaru Legacy (83)
Type: Four-door car, midsize
Surprisingly, the all-wheel-drive Subaru Legacy perhaps isn't as safe and robust as its advertising suggests. The generation covered by the study is smaller in stature compared to the current version, which might have affected the results.
14
Mazda Miata MX-5 (83)
Type: Sports car, mini
It's no surprise that the Mazda MX-5 is on the list - and that multi-vehicle accidents are where the trouble comes. This roadster is small and light, and the driver is very exposed to larger traffic. MX-5 drivers try to use their car's nimble responses to avoid collisions instead.
13
Kia Spectra (87)
Type: Four-door car, small
Kia's basic Spectra suffers from the same issues as its Hyundai Elantra cousin, namely a lack of standard ABS or stability control. It was also built to a price, not to lead the class. Equally dangerous in both single- and multi-car crashes. Hopefully its successor, the Kia Forte, will fare better in the next study.
12
Kia Rio (89)
Type: Four-door car, mini
A basic sub-compact sold with minimal safety features as standard, the Kia Rio has the worst record for multi-car crash deaths amongst its class. What's perhaps even stranger is that the mechanically identical Hyundai Accent has nearly a third fewer deaths, and leads the class in that regard.
11
Nissan Titan crew cab (92)
Type: 4WD pickup, large
Nissan's brave attempt to take on the Detroit Three at their own game never really hit its stride, and the company hasn't really done much to keep the four-wheel-drive Titan updated since its introduction. Another bizarre fact: the Titan has far more deaths in both single- and multi-vehicle collisions than the Nissan Armada, which made the top 20 safest vehicles list.
10
Chevrolet Colorado Extended Cab (93)
Type: 2WD pickup, small
GM's small pickup twins aren't noted for their solidity, durability or advanced design. In fact, they're pretty rudimentary. Those facts don't help the Colorado - although only in Extended Cab versions - which scored the worst out of all the small two-wheel-drive pickups in the study.
9
Nissan Versa (96)
Type: Four-door car small
Like the other small cars on the list, the Nissan Versa sedan comes in a very basic spec without even power windows. The lack of ABS or stability control makes it a prime target for single-vehicle crashes, and its relative lack of mass means it has less defence against bigger vehicles in a collision.
8
Hyundai Tiburon (96)
Type: Two-door car small
The last Hyundai Tiburon was left relatively unchanged for most of its eight-year run and was never the safest vehicle when introduced. Sharing its basic platform with the third-generation Elantra, its lack of standard stability control and poor visibility could have contributed to its inflated single-vehicle death scores.
7
Chevrolet Malibu Classic (99)
Type: Four-door car, midsize
When the current Chevrolet Malibu was introduced, General Motors continued to sell the older version as the Classic to fleets. The difference between the two is night and day - current is a third less likely to kill someone, and the latter is by far the worst mid-sized car in the survey. Just goes to show what five years of research and development can do to even a mainstream model.
6
Kia Spectra5 (102)
Type: Station wagon, small
The Spectra5 has the dishonour of being the first vehicle to break into three digits for death figures. Unlike its sedan sibling, this Kia does terribly in multi-vehicle collisions and poorly in singles. All of which can be blamed on low-price engineering and a lack of standard electronic safety features.
5
Nissan Titan extended cab (111)
Type: 2WD pickup, large
This is the second Titan to be featured on this list, but not the last. Seems to be a trend here ... This truck specializes in single-vehicle collisions and rollovers.
4
Chevrolet Cobalt (117)
Type: Four-door car, small
The pride of rental fleets everywhere, the Chevrolet Cobalt leaves behind an absolutely terrible record for driver deaths. Equally adept in both single- and multi-car collisions, it has more than double the score of the class-leading Toyota Prius and Mazda3 sedan. Thankfully, it's been replaced by the much more modern Cruze which boasts standard stability control and 10 airbags.
3
Chevrolet Aveo (119)
Type: Four-door car, mini
The third-worst score belongs to GM's Chevrolet Aveo, which has the highest number of deaths for cars where you can fit more than two people. Split equally between lone driver deaths and multi-vehicle crashes, certainly, its stats could have been improved by featuring ABS brakes as standard (they were a costly option), and stability control which wasn't even offered.
2
Nissan Titan crew cab (126)
Type: 2WD, pickup large
Nissan wins the booby prize with its full-size Titan pickup, with two body-styles and two drive variations all coming up snake eyes. It is six times (!) more likely to kill someone compared to the class-leading Toyota Tundra. According to the IIHS's stats, the Titan loves rolling over more often than an old Golden Retriever.
1
Nissan 350Z
Type: Two-door sports car, midsize
Nissan's iconic Z-car has a terrible record of people dying while behind the wheel. For whatever reason, accidents are twice as likely to end in a fatality as a Corvette, and twice as likely to roll, too. All come equipped with ABS and stability control, so hard to point the finger there. Perhaps an owner base that enjoys travelling sideways too much?
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