IIHS found the highest driver death rates in small cars, sedans and several muscle cars. Heavy-duty pickups led a separate ranking measuring deaths among occupants of other vehicles. The institute says vehicle size and driver behavior both shaped the real-world results. If you’ve spent any time on American roads, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s latest death-rate study probably won’t surprise you. Physics still matters. Smaller vehicles generally fare worse when they collide with something much larger, while vehicles with lots of horsepower sometimes attract drivers more willing to explore the upper area of the speedometer. The surprise isn’t that those trends showed up in the data. It’s that the biggest trucks appeared on the list for an entirely different reason. Read: Wisconsin Driver Kindly Films His Own Road Rage Shooting For Exhibit A The IIHS analyzed real-world fatalities involving 2023 model-year vehicles and equivalent earlier models. Specifically, they calculated both driver death rates and, for only the second time, “other-driver death rates.” That figure is the number of people killed in other vehicles involved in crashes with a particular model. The highest driver death rates were dominated by small cars, sedans and performance models. The Kia Rio topped the list at 170 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, followed by the Nissan Versa, while vehicles like the Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger HEMI, Chevrolet Camaro and Chevrolet Corvette also ranked among the worst performers. That doesn’t necessarily mean those vehicles are inherently unsafe. IIHS notes that driver death rates reflect far more than crashworthiness. Highest rates of driver deaths Deaths per million registered vehicle years, 2023 and equivalent earlier models, 2021-24 Vehicle nameVehicle typeDeath rateKia RioMinicar170Nissan VersaSmall car164Chrysler 300 2WDLarge car132Dodge Charger HEMI 2WDLarge car127Dodge Challenger 2WDLarge car125Kia ForteSmall car120Chevrolet MalibuMidsize car116Hyundai Venue 2WDSmall SUV113Nissan AltimaMidsize car105Nissan MaximaMidsize car105Hyundai Kona 2WDSmall SUV95Kia K5Midsize car94Dodge Charger 2WDLarge car$90Chevrolet CamaroLarge sports car$88Nissan KicksSmall car86Dodge Durango 2WDLarge SUV83Hyundai SonataMidsize car83Subaru ImprezaSmall car83Chevrolet CorvetteMidsize sports car82Nissan SentraSmall car81 SWIPE The figures are adjusted for age and sex, but not for variables like driving speed, annual mileage or driver behavior. IIHS President David Harkey says sports cars and muscle cars post higher death rates largely because of “how they’re driven,” while even the safest small cars remain at a disadvantage when colliding with larger, heavier vehicles. The flip side of the rankings is just as interesting. Sixteen vehicles recorded zero driver deaths per million registered vehicle years during the study period, a list dominated by midsize and luxury SUVs, along with a handful of electric models. The Lexus RX, BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Rivian R1S, Tesla Model Y and Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid were among those posting a perfect score, illustrating how a combination of modern crash protection and larger vehicle size can dramatically improve occupants’ odds in a serious crash. Lowest rates of driver deaths Deaths per million registered vehicle years, 2023 and equivalent earlier models, 2021-24 Vehicle TypeDeath rateAudi Q7 4WDLarge luxury SUV0BMW X7 4WDLarge luxury SUV0Chevrolet Tahoe 4WDLarge SUV0Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class 4WDSmall luxury SUV0Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class 2WDMidsize luxury SUV0Toyota Tundra CrewMax 4WDLarge pickup0Porsche Macan 4WDMidsize luxury SUV4BMW X5 4WDMidsize luxury SUV5Toyota RAV4 Prime 4WDSmall SUV5Volkswagen Atlas 2WDMidsize SUV5BMW X5 2WDMidsize luxury SUV6Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4WDVery large SUV6Ford Escape hybrid 4WDSmall SUV6Ford F-150 SuperCrew 2WDLarge pickup7Hyundai Tucson hybrid 4WDSmall SUV7Porsche Cayenne 4WDLarge luxury SUV7Toyota Highlander 4WDMidsize SUV7Volkswagen Atlas 4WDMidsize SUV7Volvo XC60 4WDMidsize luxury SUV7Volvo XC90 4WDMidsize luxury SUV7 SWIPE The other-driver rankings tell a different story. Heavy-duty pickups dominated that list, with the Ram 3500 Crew Cab Long Bed 4WD posting the highest rate at 204 deaths per million registered vehicle years. Several other Ram and Chevrolet heavy-duty trucks followed close behind, reflecting the greater harm larger, heavier vehicles can inflict in a crash. That’s the big kicker in this entire data set. Go back and look at those figures. The single highest fatality figure in the report didn’t belong to a tiny economy car or a 700-hp muscle car. It belonged to a heavy-duty pickup, just not for the people inside it. Highest rates of other-driver deaths Deaths per million registered vehicle years, 2023 and equivalent earlier models, 2021-24 Vehicle TypeDeath rateRam 3500 crew cab long bed 4WDVery large pickup204Dodge Charger HEMI 2WDLarge car161Dodge Charger 2WDLarge car136Chevrolet Silverado 3500 crew cab 4WDVery large pickup126Ram 1500 Classic crew cab short bed 4WDLarge pickup124Ram 1500 Quad 2WDLarge pickup113Ram 2500 crew cab short bed 4WDVery large pickup113Chevrolet Silverado 2500 crew cab 4WDVery large pickup111Ram 2500 crew cab long bed 4WDVery large pickup102Cadillac XT5 2WDMidsize luxury SUV100Ram 1500 crew cab short bed 2WDLarge pickup100Ford F-150 SuperCrew 2WDLarge pickup99GMC Sierra 2500 crew cab 4WDVery large pickup$98Volkswagen Atlas 2WDMidsize SUV$94Chevrolet MalibuMidsize car91Ford Expedition 2WDLarge SUV88Chevrolet CamaroLarge sports car87Chrysler Pacifica 2WDVery large minivan84Nissan Murano 4WDMidsize SUV84Kia K5Midsize car83 SWIPE That’s what makes this study more interesting than a simple list of “safe” and “unsafe” vehicles. It reinforces a reality that’s been true for decades. Physics doesn’t care about marketing, horsepower, or crash-test trophies. Smaller vehicles still tend to lose when size is against them, high-performance cars often encourage higher-risk driving, and the heaviest trucks often exact the biggest toll on everyone else sharing the road. That’s a nuance worth remembering the next time someone tries to boil this report down to a single headline. Lowest rates of other-driver deaths Deaths per million registered vehicle years, 2023 and equivalent earlier models, 2021-24 VehicleTypeDeath rateBMW X3 2WDMidsize luxury SUV7Volvo XC40 4WDSmall luxury SUV8Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WDLarge luxury SUV9BMW X7 4WDLarge luxury SUV11Volkswagen Atlas 4WDMidsize SUV13Porsche Cayenne 4WDLarge luxury SUV15Mazda CX-30 4WDSmall SUV18Acura MDX 4WDMidsize luxury SUV22Jeep Cherokee 4WDMidsize SUV22Land Rover Range Rover VelarMidsize luxury SUV22Lincoln Corsair 4WDSmall luxury SUV23Volvo XC90 4WDMidsize luxury SUV24Hyundai Palisade 4WDMidsize SUV$25Subaru OutbackMidsize wagon$25Volvo XC60 4WDMidsize luxury SUV25Ram 1500 Classic Quad 4WDLarge pickup26Subaru LegacyMidsize car26BMW X5 4WDMidsize luxury SUV27Ford Maverick hybrid SuperCrew 2WDSmall pickup27Toyota Tacoma XtraCab 4WDSmall pickup27 SWIPE Driver and other-driver death rates by vehicle size and class Deaths per million registered vehicle years, 2023 and equivalent earlier models, 2021-24 Vehicle size & classDriver death rateOther-driver death rateAll sizes & classes3753Minicars15855Small cars7956Midsize cars6765Large cars104107Small wagons2535Midsize wagons2727Midsize sports cars7341Large sports cars7561Midsize luxury cars2947Large luxury cars2650Very large luxury cars721Small SUVs38$46Midsize SUVs24$46Large SUVs2667Very large SUVs2070Small luxury SUVs2833Midsize luxury SUVs1737Large luxury SUVs1026Very large luxury SUVs1355Small pickups3155Large pickups2967Very large pickups24110 SWIPE
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