5 Popular Car Brands Known for Safety – Jalopnik

We love horsepower and comfort as much as anyone else, but one purchasing factor that has become increasingly important in recent years is safety. It is the factor that determines whether you walk away from a car accident, crawl away, or not walk at all. Nowadays, safety goes far beyond the solid construction of a car. It is a complex relationship between active and passive safety features.

Passive safety in cars includes airbags, seat belts, shatterproof glass, crumple zones, side impact beams and reinforced passenger compartments. Common active safety features include anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, and advanced driver assistance systems. ADAS is a game changer in the world of car safety, where vehicles actively try to prevent accidents without driver intervention. It’s a suite of features like autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control.

How do we know which cars are safe? We can’t just take the word of any manufacturer, but we do have reputable bodies such as the UK’s Global New Car Assessment Program, its European counterpart Euro NCAP, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). These agencies take testing seriously and go beyond crashing a test car into a barrier. They assess a car’s safety in terms of protecting adults and children, its impact on vulnerable road users and its safety assistance systems. So let’s talk about popular car brands that set the bar high for safe mobility.

Today, Volvo cars are a powerful blend of structural integrity and advanced safety features. Volvo’s latest platforms, such as the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), have crumple zones designed to absorb impact energy before it reaches the occupants, while high-strength boron steel ensures the integrity of the frame is not compromised. On the other hand, ADAS suites in most Volvos use lidar and high-tech software that warns you of impending danger and even takes over the wheel.

Some of the top-rated Volvos for safety include the XC90, XC60 and the smaller electric SUV EX30. The XC90 is often listed as an IIHS Top Safety Pick+. Like its bigger sibling, the XC60 marks its presence in the IIHS Top Safety Pick list. Volvo’s EVs also make a mark on safety. For example, the Volvo EX30 compact electric SUV scores no less than five stars in the Latin NCAP safety tests.

Unlike other radar-based ADAS systems, EyeSight uses two front cameras to accurately detect objects such as cyclists and pedestrians. This detection enables ADAS features including adaptive cruise control and pre-collision braking. This has greatly helped Subaru earn many IIHS Top Safety Pick+ awards. Subaru doesn’t skimp on passive safety features either. Most cars come with a cool, ring-shaped reinforcement frame that protects occupants in the event of side impacts and rollovers.

Some of the top-rated Subarus for safety include the Ascent, Outback, and Forester. The Ascent has consistently been an IIHS Top Safety Pick, as has the iconic Outback wagon, which also scores high marks in Euro NCAP testing, especially the performance of its automatic emergency braking. The Forester scores five stars in Euro NCAP testing and is also an IIHS Top Safety Pick.

Most new Toyotas sit on the automaker’s modular TNGA platform, which, while sturdy, is designed for optimal crash absorption. In addition to its exceptional structural rigidity, the platform has a low center of gravity, allowing for better and safer maneuverability. The TSS suite is not an option; it’s standard on new Toyota cars, from the Corolla to the Land Cruiser. It comes with features like pre-collision system, pedestrian detection, lane departure warning and dynamic radar cruise control.

Some of the top-rated Toyotas for safety include the Camry, RAV4, and bZ4X EV. The RAV4 is a top scorer in both IIHS and NHTSA safety tests. The Camry also consistently takes home IIHS Top Safety Pick awards, while the all-electric bZ4X SUV, in addition to being an aspirational EV, scores a whopping five stars in Euro NCAP testing, especially in the area of ​​safety assistance.

Another area that demonstrates Ford’s focus on safety is the use of high-strength boron steel in the car platform and truck architecture. A good example is the F150, which uses a high-strength steel frame and military-grade aluminum alloy body. Ford vehicles like the Explorer and Mustang Mach-E score high marks from U.S. safety agencies like IIHS and NHTSA.

Some of the safest Ford vehicles include the Mustang Mach-E, Explorer and F-150. The Mach-E EV earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ honors and top NHTSA ratings for its crash test performance. The F150 consistently receives IIHS Top Safety Pick honors, impressive for what is considered a work truck. The Explorer SUV now scores no less than five stars in the Euro NCAP safety tests. Its robust construction and pre-collision assist ensured it scored well in adult occupant protection.

That’s not to say Tesla has a bad body structure. Rather, the massive, flat battery pack that forms the car’s floor, combined with the use of high-strength alloys, significantly increases the car’s rigidity while lowering its center of gravity. As a result, it scores high in the field of crash protection and rollover prevention. Furthermore, no traditional engine allows cars to have a larger, more effective crumple zone. These factors help most Tesla models earn five stars in NHTSA testing.

The Tesla Model Y scores a near-perfect Euro NCAP score, especially in the areas of Safety Assist and Adult Occupant Protection. The Model 3 may be a $38,380 car without a radio, but it scores five stars in NHTSA and Euro NCAP testing. The flagship Model S achieved five stars in Latin NCAP testing.