These are 2023’s safest new cars

Both organizations put new car models through a battery of crash and safety tests, scoring each for the degree of protection they provide for occupants.

If you choose a car on this list, you can be assured you will likely survive a crash and possibly avoid it altogether. We pulled together a collection of the best 2023 models that make it safer for you to drive on the road and what earns them that distinction.

In a nutshell, these car models go above and beyond government-mandated safety features and manufacturer norms. Read on to learn more. Use the following jump links to skip ahead in the story.

How we did it: the methodology

We looked for cars with perfect scores in both IIHS and NHTSA testing. With those in hand, we narrowed the field among the trim levels within each model based on standard and available active safety features such as forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking.

Several safety features we’ve grown accustomed to are actually government-mandated. In other words, the federal government made them standard by law. These include antilock brakes, stability control, traction control, rearview cameras, tire pressure monitors, etc.

Airbags

The government also mandates airbags. However, that mandate stops at two: one for the driver and one for the front passenger. Besides 2-seat sports cars, nearly all passenger vehicles today come with at least six airbags. They include the two mandated airbags, two front-side impact airbags, and two side-curtain airbags.

However, several models don’t stop there, either. They may include airbags covering rear-side impact, knee, front center, etc. We point out when one of our picks provides more than six airbags.

Some government-mandated safety features get referred to as active safety features, defined by their role in preventing accidents. Stability control and antilock brakes fall into this category. We know these are mandated features, so we don’t itemize them in our descriptions.

Advanced driver assistance technologies

We are convinced that advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS, are critical in the safety of you and your family when in your car. In research published in August of 2023, AAA reported that 37 million crashes could be prevented over the next 30 years with the widespread adoption of ADAS. Moreover, preventing those millions of crashes could save 250,000 lives while preventing 14 million injuries. Consequently, ADAS ranks high in our consideration when picking our list of safest cars.

In determining the safest trim levels within models, we looked at active safety features that the government does not mandate. This is where features like forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, automatic braking, and lane-keeping assist come in.

We also considered other driver aids, such as adaptive cruise control, high-beam assist, driver-awareness alert, and a head-up display. We argue that LED exterior headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and auto-dimming rearview mirrors also contribute to a vehicle’s safety.

Also read: Range isn’t the only anxiety Americans have about electric cars

Here’s a list of the more significant advanced technologies we considered. Many carmakers have unique names for the advanced safety technologies listed below. We’ve used popular industry names. Moreover, we use the acronyms (in parentheses) in the safest cars descriptions for brevity.

• Adaptive Cruise Control: Adaptive cruise control maintains the preset speed you’ve chosen and also responds to the changing speed of the vehicle ahead. It slows your car as the vehicle ahead slows, then speeds back up as the other does. Some systems will bring the vehicle to a complete stop if necessary. A form of adaptive cruise control, Traffic Jam Assist, is engineered specifically for slow-moving stop-and-go city traffic.

• Adaptive Front Lights: These headlights turn in the same direction as the front wheels to light the way when taking a curve or making a turn.

• Automatic Emergency Braking: Often paired with forward collision warning, AEB senses when your vehicle is likely to strike an object in front of it. The AEB system then automatically applies the brakes. More sophisticated systems include pedestrian and cyclist detection. IIHS requires AEB for TSP+ qualification. Therefore, we don’t include it in our model descriptions.

• Blind-Spot Monitoring: Sensors mounted on the corners of the rear bumper detect and warn of approaching traffic pulling into the blind spots on the rear quarter of your vehicle. Typically BSM is married to the rear cross-traffic alert that warns of traffic crossing behind you when backing out of a parking space.

• Driver Monitoring System: Employing cameras and other sensors, DMS determines if a driver’s attention is still on the road. Several manufacturers call this technology “Driver Awareness Alert.”

• Forward Collision Warning: Using a camera or a combination of camera and radar, forward collision warning, or FCW, sounds an audible alert when it detects an impending front crash. Many systems also include emergency braking if the driver fails to respond to the warning.

• High-Beam Assist: In vehicles with this system, the high beams remain on. The system automatically switches off the high beams when photosensors or a forward-pointed camera detects oncoming headlights or taillights. HBA automatically switches them back on when no vehicle lights are detected.

• Junction-Turning Assist: Sometimes called “intersection-turning assist,” the JTA system detects oncoming traffic when making a left turn in an intersection. It sounds a warning, and some more advanced systems also engage the brakes.

• Lane Centering Assist: Using a forward-pointed camera, LCA keeps the vehicle centered in the lane by keeping track of the lane markings. It’s a proactive system, constantly making minute steering corrections to maintain its position in the center of the lane.

• Lane-Departure Warning: A front-pointed camera monitors the defining lines on the pavement bordering your driving lane. When LDW senses you are drifting over either line, an auditory warning sounds if you don’t engage a turn signal. More sophisticated systems with steering assist even nudge you back toward the center.

• Lane-Following Assist: When the lane markings aren’t clearly defined, your vehicle maintains the same course as the vehicle preceding it.

• Lane-Keeping Assist: LKA is similar to lane-departure systems with steering assist, except there is no auditory warning. Lane-keeping assist uses a forward-pointed camera to keep track of lane markings. It constantly initiates steering corrections, keeping you within the lane boundaries.

• Park Assist: On a car’s rear and/or front bumper, sensors sound an alarm when they detect a nearby object. More sophisticated systems also provide automatic braking.

• Parking Assistance: These systems vary in sophistication and what they can accomplish independently. However, they all assume some of the task of parallel or diagonally parking a car. Basic systems assume steering duties while the driver retains control of the brakes. The most sophisticated systems find an appropriate parking space and then complete the parking task without any driver input.

• Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCTA): Uses rear-mounted sensors to detect traffic crossing behind your vehicle when backing out of a parking space or driveway.

• Safe Exit Assist: Radar-based, SEA technology detects traffic approaching from the rear in a neighboring lane and prevents the doors on that side of the vehicle from opening.

• Surround-View Camera: Sometimes called bird’s-eye-view or 360-degree monitoring, this is a series of at least four cameras, each taking an image of a different side of the vehicle. The system then knits the four images together, creating an image encompassing a few feet around the car. A representation of the vehicle is dropped into the center of the image. This is helpful when maneuvering through tight spaces or parking.

• Traffic Jam Assist: This is a low-speed adaptive cruise control for managing stop-and-go traffic or heavy-highway congestion situations.

• Traffic Sign Recognition: Capable of recognizing a variety of common road signs, TSR displays recognized signs on one of the vehicle’s display screens or the head-up display, if so equipped.

Other safety features

• Auto On-Off Headlights: Photosensors monitor daylight, automatically engaging the headlights as the daylight grows dim, then extinguishing them as daylight returns.

• Auto-Dimming Mirrors: Based on photosensors, they recognize bright headlights closing from behind, automatically dimming the reflection of those lights. Any of the rearview mirrors (inside and outboard) can have this feature.

• Head-up Display: This displays key driver information projected onto the windshield just below the driver’s line of sight. The ability to check such information, for example, vehicle speed, keeps the driver’s eyes on the road versus glancing at the speedometer.

• Heated Outboard Mirrors: Electrically heated, these mirrors automatically clear the mirror surface of fog, ice, and snow. More sophisticated examples also include integrated turn signals.

• Hill-Start Assist: Sensors alert the system that your vehicle is stopped on an incline. The system then kicks in to retain full brake pressure as your transfer your foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator, preventing the vehicle from rolling.

• LED Headlights: LEDs illuminate a broader and longer area than regular incandescent or halogen lights. This also means they are easier for other drivers to see.

• Rain-Sensing Wipers: This system automatically engages the wipers when it senses moisture on the windshield. The wiper speed adjusts to the volume of rain.

• Rear-Seat Alert: This feature automatically sounds an auditory reminder or flashes an alert to a driver exiting the vehicle to check the back seat for children, pets, and packages.

Related: 7 must-have safety features for your next car

Vehicle crash and safety testing

Here’s a crash course in crash tests and what you can expect.

IIHS

Key to our research and a core qualifier for our safest car picks is the battery of crash and safety tests performed by the independent and nonprofit IIHS. It relies on four main crash tests on cars, light trucks, minivans, and SUVs. They include a driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side overlap front, moderate overlap front, and side. It’s worth noting that the side-test protocol includes both the right and left sides; consequently, the side protocol could technically be called two tests for a total of five. However, the IIHS lumps the side tests into a single score for scoring purposes.

The IIHS no longer conducts a roof strength or head restraint test because the technology for both has become so advanced and good.

The IIHS scoring is Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor in descending order. Every pick on our list scored four for four Goods.

TIP: IIHS changed its side crash-test protocol in 2021, using a heavier ram. Although the results of this new version of the test were shown in some vehicles’ results in the past couple of years, 2023 is the first year the IIHS figured those results into a vehicle’s scoring. Consequently, testing and finalizing the 2023 scores has required extra time. This, combined with the ongoing difficulty of the IIHS and NHTSA acquiring vehicles for testing, has slowed the process considerably. We expected many of last year’s cars to remain on our 2023 safest list. However, a few didn’t qualify, while others are still in the testing phase. Below, we also include a list of last year’s safest cars not on our 2023 list but that still may qualify once testing is complete.

Beyond the crash tests, the IIHS evaluates headlights and vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash protection. Here the scoring is Superior, Advanced, and Basic. Moreover, the LATCH child-seat anchors are also assessed.

Only models getting the highest marks in both the crash tests and the other evaluations earn the IIHS highest safety awards of Top Safety Pick (TSP) and Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+). Every model on our list has the IIHS TSP+ safety rating. We do include a list of models earning the TSP safety rating.

Note: When the IIHS tests vehicles, they treat plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and electric vehicles (EV) as distinct models, scoring them separately from the ICE (internal combustion engine) models. However, IIHS views hybrid models that don’t require charging through an outside source as a trim level of the ICE model. That means if a gas-powered model made this list with a TSP+ rating, its hybrid version did, too.

Last year’s safest cars that may still qualify for 2023

With the changes in the IIHS testing protocols beginning in 2023, we decided to include a list of 2022 safest cars that are still in testing and might still make the 2023 list.

• 2023 Acura TLX

• 2023 Audi A4

• 2023 Audi A5

• 2023 Audi A6

• 2023 Audi A7

• 2023 Genesis G70

• 2023 Genesis G80

• 2023 Lexus IS

• 2023 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

• 2023 Nissan
  7201,
  -1.96%
  Maxima

• 2023 Subaru
  7270,
  +0.20%
  BRZ

• 2023 Tesla
  TSLA,
  +0.86%
  Model 3

• 2023 Volvo S60/S60 Recharge

• 2023 Volvo S90/S90 Recharge

• 2023 Volvo V60 Cross Country/V60 Recharge

• 2023 Volvo
  VLVLY,
  +1.18%
  V90 Cross Country

Also see: The 2023 Subaru Ascent review: A family-friendly 3-row SUV with excellent safety ratings

NHTSA

The NHTSA testing isn’t as involved as that of the IIHS. NHTSA performs front and side crash tests. The front test is a 35-mph crash into a fixed barrier. NHTSA combines the results of side-barrier and driver-door side-pole crash tests to arrive at the side test results. NHTSA scoring takes into account a rollover aspect in its scoring. It’s really an evaluation of the likelihood of a vehicle rolling over. No crash test is performed.

NHTSA awards one to five stars each for front, side, and rollover scenarios. Five is the best score. NHTSA also issues an overall score. Every pick on this list boasts a 5-Star overall score. Where a 5-Star score isn’t the case, it’s because, for whatever reason, NHTSA hasn’t tested it. We’ve included them on this list because we don’t think we should omit them for lack of NHTSA testing.

What are the safest cars?

We’ve included the base price, the model nameplate with the price of what we consider the best value with the most safety, and the combined city/highway mileage for the base engine at the top of each description. You will also find our Kelley Blue Book Expert Rating.

Note: The new car market remains in a state of unpredictability because of the easing microchip shortage and supply chain issues. With dealer inventories improving for many car models, many popular models remain in short supply, with pricing constantly in flux. We aim to keep up with those price variations, updating stories with the latest price information as we discover it. However, these unannounced factory price hikes are difficult to track. In other words, the prices listed below are the most recent as of this writing. Moreover, you may find dealer markups on some harder-to-find models from carmakers like Honda and Kia. Dealers add these charges to increase their profit on those models.

2023 Acura Integra

Best Safety Value: $31,300 (Integra)

Base Price: $31,300 | Expert Rating: 4.0

Combined Fuel Economy: 33 mpg

The Integra nameplate has only been back in showrooms since the 2022 calendar year. Not only is its name a historical throwback, but so is its very personality. It’s a luxury hatchback competing in a world of SUVs. If you don’t think that’s rare, how about Acura making a 6-speed manual transmission standard in the top A-Spec w/Technology Package trim? Built on the bones of the Honda
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-0.06%
Civic, even the Integra’s entry-level grade comes with AcuraWatch, which is the brand’s bundle of advanced safety tech. It includes TSR, TJA, ACC, LDW, LKA, BSM, and RCTA, the features in the list above. Our recommended safety features include 10 airbags, high-beam assist, hill-start assist, auto on-off LED headlights, and heated outboard mirrors.

You must move up two trim levels to the top grade to have any further impact on safety. With the A-Spec w/Technology Package trim ($36,300), you add front/rear park assist, low-speed rear automatic braking, rain-sensing wipers, a head-up display, and outboard mirrors with integrated turn signals. We’d save the $5,000 and stick with the base trim.

2023 Genesis G90

Best Safety Value: $88,400 (3.5T)

Base Price: $88,400 | Expert Rating: 4.7

Combined Fuel Economy: 21 mpg

Genesis totally redesigned its full-size luxury sedan for 2023. The G90 represents solid value within its segment. There is a hybrid version, as well. Luxurious inside and out, the Genesis G90 costs thousands less than European rivals, yet it offers a boatload of safety features. The entry-level 3.5T Premium in this 2-model lineup comes loaded with 10 airbags, rain-sensing wipers, and LED exterior lights (headlights with auto on-off, DRLs, and taillights). High-beam assist, adaptive cruise control, and a head-up display are also included. Auto-dimming mirrors (rearview and outboard) and a surround-view camera are standard, too.

Among the advanced driver aids are LKA, SEA, DMS, and automatic reverse braking. Also standard are RCTA and BSM with steering assist. Highway Driving Assist is standard as well. It’s a semi-autonomous driver-assistance system that can accelerate, brake, and steer the car under certain conditions. What more do you need? The 3.5T is our recommendation.

Read more: The opulent 2023 Genesis G90 goes toe-to-toe with its German rivals BMW and Mercedes

2023 Honda Accord

Best Safety Value: $29,610 (EX+BSM/RCTA)

Base Price: $27,295 | Expert Rating: 4.8

Combined Fuel Economy: 32 mpg

Totally redesigned for this model year, the Accord is our Midsize Best Car Buy of 2023. In addition to its durability and better-than-average resale value, the Accord provides an assortment of safety features and advanced safety technologies. Honda also offers it as a hybrid. It comes with 10 airbags, hill-start assist, auto on-off LED headlights, and high-beam assist. Included among its Honda Sensing suite of safety tech are LDW, LKA, TSR, and TJA. Sadly, BSM and RCTA aren’t available on the entry-level trim and are bundled in a $550 option package on most upper trims. You must go all the way to the top-tier Touring Hybrid ($37,340) to get BSM and RCTA as standard.

There are other good reasons, like the 48-mpg combined fuel economy, to move up to one of the four top trim levels, but increasing safety features isn’t one of them. Sure, you gain front/rear park assist with the EX-L Hybrid ($32,990). You’ll get a few other of our preferred features, like a head-up display, on the top trim, but the jump in cost doesn’t make sense from a safety standpoint. We’d go with the $29,060 EX grade and add the BSM/RCTA bundle.

Learn more: The 2023 Honda Accord has a new look and a hybrid option that’s front and center

2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6

Best Safety Value: $41,600 (SE RWD Standard Range)

Base Price: $41,600 | Expert Rating: 4.6

Combined Fuel Economy: 140 mpge

Following the success of the Ioniq 5 SUV, Hyundai
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+3.99%
introduced the all-new Ioniq 6 fully electric sedan. Streamlined, with up to 320 horsepower or 361 miles of range – depending on trim level – and quick charging, the Ioniq 6 is an impressive contender.

It comes with a wide range of standard safety features, including FCA with pedestrian and cyclist detection, LKA, blind-spot warning, safe exit warning, and automatic high beams. If you want blind-spot collision avoidance assist, junction turning assist, or the Highway Driving Assist II semi-autonomous system (HDA I is standard), you’ll have to choose the SEL. The Limited adds a surround-view monitor, blind spot view monitor (camera), and parking collision avoidance assist. If you’re looking for more power, more features, AWD, or more range, we’d recommend some of the higher trim levels. However, there are so many safety features on the base model that the SE RWD Standard Range is the best safety value.

Check it out: The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6: What’s it like to drive, and when can you get one?

2023 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Best Safety Value: $47,100 (C300 + Exclusive Trim)

Base Price: $44,850 | Expert Rating: 4.6

Combined Fuel Economy: 29 mpg

Planting the Mercedes-Benz flag in the small, luxury sedan arena, the C-Class provides premium features and solid safety ratings. For the price, the entry-level C-Class isn’t exactly packed with advanced safety tech. Among our list of recommended safety features, the entry-level C-Class trim comes with auto on-off LED headlights, high-beam assist, seven airbags, heated outboard mirrors, and rain-sensing wipers. Among the popular advanced safety tech are BSM with exit alert and a driver monitoring system. Yep, that’s it.

We suggest adding the Exclusive Trim Package ($2,250), which adds front-rear park assist, a surround-view camera, and several non-safety features. It also includes the Mercedes-Benz Parking Pilot that allows automatic parking in tight spaces from outside the car using a smartphone app. For $3,950, you can pick up the Pinnacle Trim Package, which includes all of the Exclusive Trim Package’s goodies, head-up display, and a few other additional features. We’d go with the base C300 and the Exclusive Trim Package.

2023 Toyota Camry

Best Safety Value: $27,600 (LE + BSM with options)

Base Price: $26,320 | Expert Rating: 4.5

Combined Fuel Economy: 32 mpg

Few sedans in history have achieved the success and positive reputation of the Toyota Camry. It checks all the boxes as a family hauler. Comfortable, safe, fuel-efficient, and reliable, the Camry comes with Toyota’s
TM,
-1.21%
Safety Sense 2.5+. It contains LKA, LDW with steering assist, ACC, and LTA. Also standard are 10 airbags and high-beam assist. Not only are LED headlights standard but so are LED taillights and DRLs.

You can stick with the base LE, adding the Blind Spot Monitor with options package, a $1,280 bundle that includes BSM, RCTA, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror, along with a convenience goodie or two. We recommend that combination as your best safety value.

2023 Toyota Prius

Best Safety Value: $27,450 (LE)

Base Price: $27,450 | Expert Rating: 4.8

Combined Fuel Economy: 57 mpg

With sleek styling, significantly more power, and better combined mpg, the all-new 2023 Toyota Prius is making waves. In addition to offering stellar fuel economy, the Prius comes standard with plenty of impressive safety features. Even the base model, the LE, has Toyota Safety Sense 3.0. This suite of safety features includes FCW with pedestrian detection, AEB, LDW with steering assist, ACC, LKA, road sign recognition, and automatic high beams. In addition to detecting pedestrians, TSS 3.0 can detect bicycles and motorcycles. Its Emergency Driving Stop can detect when the driver may have a medical issue and can bring the Prius to a stop.

The Prius also comes standard with BSM with rear cross-traffic detection, safe exit assist, and tire-pressure monitoring. You can add front and rear parking sensors for $35, and all-wheel drive for $1,400, but you have just about every safety feature you need in the LE.

Read more: It’s faster, more powerful, sleek and sculpted: It’s the 2023 Toyota Prius, transformed

2023 Toyota Prius Prime

Best Safety Value: $32,350 (SE)

Base Price: $32,350 | Expert Rating: 4.8

Combined Fuel Economy: 127 mpge, 53 mpg

Like the Prius, the Toyota Prius Prime is also all-new for 2023. This is the plug-in hybrid version of the Prius, and offers up to 44 miles of electric-only range, compared to 25 in 2022. Horsepower is up by nearly 100, for a total of 220 system horsepower. That makes the Prius Prime more fun to drive, too.

As is the case with the Prius, all trim levels of the Prius Prime come with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0. That means you get ACC, LDW with steering assist, FCW with pedestrian detection, AEB, LKA, road sign recognition, and automatic high beams. All trim levels also come with blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, safe exit assist, and eight airbags. The Prime is not available with all-wheel drive. Because the Prius Prime is so well-equipped at every trim level, we recommend getting the base SE for the best safety value.

Also read: As auto insurance rates rise, this driver cut her bill by 37%—here’s how

IIHS Top Safety Pick award winners

Every year, the IIHS gives out awards to the safest vehicles, based on how they perform in the institute’s test. There are two tiers of awards: Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) and Top Safety Pick (TSP). Here is a list of the cars that earned TSP accolades and NHTSA 5-Star ratings.

This story originally ran on KBB.com.