- How to find the most dangerous car on the road?
- 10. Ford Mustang GT Coupe (2015-18)
- 9. Kia Rio (2015-18)
- 8. Nissan Versa (2015-19)
- 7. Kia Forte (2015-18)
- 6. Hyundai Elantra (2011-16)
- 5. Fiat 500 (2012-19)
- 4. Nissan Versa Note (2016-2019)
- 3. Chevrolet Sonic (2012-2020)
- 2. Hyundai Accent (2012-2017)
- 1. Ford Fiesta (2014-2019)
The technology in our cars has made some pretty impressive leaps over the past few decades. Features like ABS, blind-spot sensors, and backup cameras have stopped countless accidents. Despite these many safety features, people are driving more and more people are dying in car crashes than ever before. It pays to find the safest cars available. It also pays to know the most dangerous cars in 2023, too.
A 2016 Nissan Versa, left, is test crashed into a 2015 Nissan Tsuru | Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
How to find the most dangerous car on the road?
This information can be a bit tricky to work out. The way to figure out the most dangerous cars on the road is by looking at how many fatalities each nameplate has against how many of them are registered. Car registrations aren’t released until two years after. This info is further complicated and difficult to obtain because The states that it also usually takes up to nine months after the last calendar year to get an accurate view of annual road fatalities.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the latest numbers indicate that the overall death rate from 2020 was approximately 65 deaths per million registered vehicles on its highest rate of driver deaths list.
While we would love to provide this information for 2023 car models, we won’t have the data available for another two years. However, the IIHS says that figures from a previous year’s model often reflect the safety of the current model.
10. Ford Mustang GT Coupe (2015-18)
2023 Ford Mustang | Ford
Data reported by the Carlson Law Firm
- 81 deaths per million registrations
- 23 deaths per million single-vehicle crashes; 12 death per million single-vehicle rollover
- 58 deaths per million multi-vehicle crashes
The Ford Mustang is an interesting case right off the bat. The IIHS gave “marginal” ratings to the Mustang’s structure and safety cage. While that certainly matters, another factor has to play a part in making the Ford Mustang GT Coupe one of the most dangerous cars in America: Mustang drivers.
Mustang drivers have made a bit of a name for themselves are car meets as the wild cards. There is a seemingly endless amount of videos online of Mustangs attempting burnouts, donuts, or drifts, leaving these car meets and often hilariously crashing into any number of stationary objects. Of course, this is more anecdotal evidence than proper data, but the real data backs up the videos.
9. Kia Rio (2015-18)
2023 Kia Rio sedan | Kia
- 87 deaths per million registrations
- 38 per million were in single-vehicle crashes; 0 deaths per million single-vehicle rollover
- 51 deaths per million multi-vehicle crashes
In 2019, the Kia Rio landed second on the list of most dangerous cars in America. Seeing as how it’s dropped to No. nine is quite an amazing bit of progress. Even with its safety improvements, the Kia Rio is still quite small, giving it a safety disadvantage with the bigger road warriors we share the road with today.
8. Nissan Versa (2015-19)
- 88 deaths per million registrations
- 42 deaths per million were in single-vehicle crashes; 14 deaths per million in a single-vehicle rollover
- 49 deaths per million multi-vehicle crashes
The Nissan Versa also stepped up its safety game. Even still, it is one of the most dangerous cars on the road, according to 2020 car registrations and the number of road deaths. The overall safety of these vehicles is rated ‘poor’ according to the IIHS due to a small overlap on the front driver’s side in a crash.
7. Kia Forte (2015-18)
2020 Kia Forte | Kia
- 89 deaths per million registrations
- 24 deaths per million single-vehicle crashes; 2 deaths per million single-vehicle rollover
- 63 deaths per million multi-vehicle crashes
The Kia Forte is another small car that struggled with safety ratings from the IIHS. The Forte was rated “acceptable,” while that’s ok, it’s not a great rating. However, the IIHS still gave the 2017 model a Top Safety Pick. Considering the fact that the Forte is still on the top ten list of the most dangerous cars might explain why the IIHS is getting stricter on its safety ratings.
6. Hyundai Elantra (2011-16)
- 89 deaths per million registrations
- 15 deaths per million in single-vehicle crashes; 9 deaths per million in a single-vehicle rollover
- 71 per million in multiple-vehicle accidents
The Hyundai Elantra make big strides in safety for the 2019 model year. However, before the 2019 model, the Elantra contributed to a decent number of road deaths. This is something worth considering when looking for used Hyundai Elantras.
5. Fiat 500 (2012-19)
Fiat 500X rear badging | FCA
- 95 deaths per million registrations
- 38 deaths per million in single-vehicle crashes; 37 deaths per million in a single-vehicle rollover
- 60 per million in multiple-vehicle accidents
The Fiat 500 is a true Italian classic. Its overall safety evaluation was rated poor. According to the IIHS, driver door hinges can tear apart and open the door, which can eject the driver from the vehicle in a crash. It is another example of a small car being dangerous.
4. Nissan Versa Note (2016-2019)
- 96 deaths per million registrations
- 12 deaths per million in single-vehicle crashes; 7 deaths per million in a single-vehicle rollover
- 80 per million in multiple-vehicle accidents
The Nissan Versa Note made headlines recently as the last of the five-speed manual transmission cars. The hatchback version of the Versa is different from the sedan Versa covered early in this list.
3. Chevrolet Sonic (2012-2020)
- 98 deaths per million registrations
- 34 deaths per million in single-vehicle crashes; 10 deaths per million in a single-vehicle rollover
- 64 per million in multiple-vehicle accidents
The Chevy Sonic also suffers from structure and cage issues. The Sonic also had significant problems with a small overlap on the driver’s side in a crash. Small economy cars aren’t doing great on these safety scores.
2. Hyundai Accent (2012-2017)
- 116 deaths per million registrations
- 28 deaths per million in single-vehicle crashes; 9 deaths per million in single-vehicle rollover
- 85 per million in multiple-vehicle accidents
The Carlson Law Firm points out that the Accent is the worst-rated car on this list. It got an overall score of Poor from IIHS. The structure and safety cage are rated as poor. The IIHS found that drivers may get severe injuries to their hips, thigh, legs, and feet if involved in a crash. However, that doesn’t make it the most dangerous car.
1. Ford Fiesta (2014-2019)
Related
- 141 deaths per million registrations
- 46 deaths per million in single-vehicle crashes; 13 deaths per million in a single-vehicle rollover
- 98 per million in multiple-vehicle accidents
Both the sedan and the hatchback versions of the Ford Fiesta from these years were found to be the most deadly car in America. The IIHS rated the Fiesta “marginal” in safety. 2014-2019 Fiesta has a serious weakness in front overlap crash tests.
Keyword: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cars