America's Deadliest Cars

Special Report

Published: August 29, 2017 4:45 pm

Last Updated: March 13, 2020 4:17 pm

There are many measures to determine car safety, and one is to examine driver death rates per vehicle. Data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released this week identified the most dangerous cars on the road based on this measure.

Most of the models that have the highest driver fatality rates are small cars with structures that are less able to absorb the brunt of crashes. Five of the 10 cars with the most driver fatalities are hatchbacks, while three are small sedans. Meanwhile, all of the cars with the lowest driver death rates were either large luxury cars or SUVs.

According to IIHS, 4-door minicars have the worst death rate at 87 per 1 million registered vehicles, while 4-wheel drive large luxury SUVs have the lowest with six driver deaths per 1 million registered vehicles.

The data come from IIHS, a nonprofit research organization funded by auto insurers. The IIHS measured over 200 vehicles – 2014 models or equivalent – between 2012 and 2015. Only vehicles with at least 100,000 registered vehicles between 2012-2015 were considered.

Click here to see America’s 20 deadliest cars.
Click here to see the safest cars in America.

20. Ford Mustang convertible
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 60
> Parent company: Ford Motor Company
> Type: Midsize sports car
> U.S. sales YTD: 30,527

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19. Dodge Avenger 2WD
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 60
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
> Type: Midsize four-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: N/A

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18. Chevrolet Impala
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 60
> Parent company: General Motors Co.
> Type: Large four-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: 23,235

17. Volkswagen Golf
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 63
> Parent company: Volkswagen AG
> Type: Small four-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: 4,591

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16. Mitsubishi Lancer 2WD
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 63
> Parent company: Mitsubishi Group
> Type: Small four-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: 6,053 (North America)

15. Hyundai Accent (hatchback)
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 63
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
> Type: Mini station wagon/minivan
> U.S. sales YTD: 14,763

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14. Ford Fiesta (sedan)
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 63
> Parent company: Ford Motor Company
> Type: Mini station wagon/minivan
> U.S. sales YTD: 16,373

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13. Hyundai Genesis coupe
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 67
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
> Type: Midsize two-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: 814

12. Chrysler 200
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 67
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
> Type: Midsize four-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: 9,477

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11. Ford Focus
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 68
> Parent company: Ford Motor Company
> Type: Small four-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: 49,902

10. Nissan Sentra
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 72
> Parent company: Nissan Group
> Type: Small four-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: 71,669

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9. Nissan Titan Crew Cab short bed 4WD
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 73
> Parent company: Nissan Group
> Type: Large pickup
> U.S. sales YTD: 15,238

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8. Dodge Challenger
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 81
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
> Type: Large two-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: 22,316

7. Kia Soul
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 82
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
> Type: Small station wagon/minivan
> U.S. sales YTD: 33,102

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6. Ford Fiesta (sedan)
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 83
> Parent company: Ford Motor Company
> Type: Mini four-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: 16,373

5. Nissan Versa
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 95
> Parent company: Nissan Group
> Type: Mini four-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: 39,397

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4. Chevrolet Spark
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 96
> Parent company: General Motors Co.
> Type: Mini four-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: 8,840

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3. Scion tC
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 101
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corporation
> Type: Small two-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: 156

2. Kia Rio
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 102
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
> Type: Mini four-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: 4,535

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1. Hyundai Accent (sedan)
> Fatalities per million registered vehicles: 104
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
> Type: Mini four-door car
> U.S. sales YTD: 14,763

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