Even the most cautious drivers can come against unforeseen obstacles on the road, which means that researching the best cars for surviving an accident should be one of the first things you do when vehicle shopping. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tries to help drivers by naming its Top Safety Picks each year. Learn more about which cars are highly regarded as the safest options for accidents below.
When researching the safest cars, you want something that’ll protect you in accidents that go beyond the damage that can be fixed with paintless dent repair. Generally, larger, heavier vehicles can hold up better under such forces than smaller, lighter models, which is why many families usually consider an SUV to be the safest car for accidents. However, the IIHS identifies several top models for different size categories.
Here are some new cars that have received the IIHS Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ award and can be considered the best cars for surviving an accident:
Many 2024 models are still brand-new and at the forefront of the industry. The following 2024 model-year vehicles are some of the IIHS Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ award winners; each can be seen as an answer to “What’s the safest car?”
The IIHS reaches these conclusions by looking for vehicles with good ratings in the driver- and passenger-side small overlap front tests and in the original moderate overlap front test, among other qualities. Contact us to get more details on automotive safety criteria.
While knowing the best cars for surviving an accident is important, we all would prefer to avoid a collision altogether. This is why the IIHS will disqualify a potential Top Safety Pick+ award winner if it has anything below an “acceptable” rating for its vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention systems. Therefore, all the vehicles listed above can be relied upon to help you stay aware of threats and avoid the need for auto body repair.
The automobiles listed above will also typically come standard with their automaker’s latest driver-assistance and accident-avoidance systems. For example, the 2025 Subaru Forester earned its IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating1 with help from its Subaru EyeSight Driver Assist Technology. This system includes the following:
Additionally, the Forester can be equipped with a DriverFocus Distraction Mitigation System and Blind-Spot Warning with Lane-Change Assistance, among other accident-avoidance systems. Subaru models tend to be considered the strongest cars in accidents for both these systems and their inherent engineering; the IIHS agrees and has included six Subaru models (the Impreza, WRX, Forester, Outback, Solterra, and Ascent) in their list of 2024 and 2025 Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ award winners.1
The 2024 and 2025 Volvo XC90 made the list, too,1 as their accident-avoidance systems are some of the most innovative on the market today. For example, the latest new Volvo XC90 offers the following as standard:
The Pilot Assist is a hallmark of new Volvo vehicles: It is a semi-autonomous driving system that can help reduce driver’s fatigue and the risk of accidents on longer highway trips. Volvo Cars, like the Subaru brand, also focuses on engineering safety into the vehicles via the deeper structure and interior of the car; a standard Whiplash Injury Protection System in the seats of every Volvo SUV is part of that.
Cadillac is another brand that shares this philosophy. While not on the IIHS list, the 2025 Cadillac XT6 earned a five-star overall crash-test safety rating from the NHTSA.2 Both that and its menu of safety features make it one of the best cars for surviving an accident; those standard systems include:
Do keep in mind that these systems require maintenance and oftentimes need repairs after an accident. For example, a bumper repair may involve damaged parking sensors or camera hardware, which may raise the price of the service.
If and when that time comes, consider our trustworthy service center and body shop in Lexington, KY, to get your vehicle back into like-new condition for a safe and smooth life on the road.
We hope your newfound knowledge of the best cars for surviving an accident will be something that never needs to be tested on the road, but unfortunate events happen despite our (and our vehicle’s) best efforts. Our team in Lexington, KY, is here to help you in those moments. We offer free body shop estimates so that you know what it’ll take to get your automobile back on the streets safely.
If you are the kind of person who found their way to this article, you likely prefer to think ahead in other ways, too. Check out our body shop insurance page to learn about the claims process. Whether it involves paint chip repairs or a windshield replacement, you can count on Quantrell Collision to handle your car’s needs.
Any car with an IIHS Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ rating can be considered one of the strongest cars in accidents. For the latest list, vehicles with these ratings include nearly the entire 2024/2025 Subaru lineup, including the Impreza, WRX, Forester, Outback, Solterra, and Ascent1 and both forms of the 2025 Volvo XC90 (the Volvo XC90 and Volvo XC90 Plug-In Hybrid).1
An SUV with the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating can be considered the safest vehicle in a crash and may help you survive the impact better than any other car or SUV. In the field of new SUVs, the current roster of IIHS Top Safety Pick+ recipients include the Subaru Forester,1 Subaru Ascent,1 Volvo XC90,1 and Volvo XC90 Plug-In Hybrid.1
Among cars and SUVs, IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award winners like the Subaru Ascent1 and Volvo XC901 can be considered to be the safest vehicles in a rear-end collision. Rear-end impacts can be just as significant as front and side impacts, and the vehicles listed on this page are built and tested to keep you as safe as possible.
1Reference to this third-party claim is solely for informational purposes and not to be relied upon. For details regarding this award, visit https://www.iihs.org/ratings/top-safety-picks
2Reference to this third-party claim is solely for informational purposes and not to be relied upon. For details regarding this rating, visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2025/CADILLAC/XT6/SUV/FWD
