Revealed: These are the Deadliest Cars you can drive in the US, 2024

According to the latest data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it’s estimated that around 42,939 Americans lost their lives in motor vehicle accidents in 2022. This number is very close to the previous year’s figure and is the highest in more than a decade. In the first quarter of this year, 9,330 Americans died due to road-related incidents. However, not all vehicles pose the same risk when it comes to traffic fatalities.

Despite considerable advancements in automotive safety features, certain vehicles still lag behind in safety measures. Within this spectrum, encompassing both poorly rated and highly rated vehicles, some are more predisposed to be involved in fatal accidents. In an effort to identify the most perilous cars in America, we have analyzed data on fatal car crashes from the NHTSA and car sales data, covering the years 2018 to 2020, with 2020 being the most recent year for crash data. The crash figures specifically pertain to vehicles from the model year 2018 or later. Models with sales fewer than 100,000 units over the three-year period or those lacking sales or crash data were excluded from the analysis.

Despite substantial improvements in vehicle safety standards, leading to rare instances of cars failing standard safety tests, some cars on this list received commendable ratings from safety assessment organizations. However, a few of them demonstrated mediocre or poor scores in the small overlap front crash test, devised by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

This test gauges the impact when the front corner of a vehicle collides with an object, as opposed to the entire front section absorbing the impact. Interestingly, three out of the four cars with the highest fatality rates per vehicle sold fall into the category of sports sedans, often chosen for their speed. Excessive speed remains a prominent factor contributing to motor vehicle fatalities.

Furthermore, many vehicles ranking near the top of this list, indicating their involvement in a higher number of crashes, belong to the compact and subcompact categories. According to a report from the IIHS, smaller vehicles inherently pose greater risks due to their reduced mass, rendering them more susceptible in collisions with larger vehicles, even if they boast favorable safety ratings.

1. Chevrolet Impala
   Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 7.0 per 10,000 sold cars
   Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 78
   Sales, 2018-2020: 111,478
2. Dodge Challenger
   Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 6.1 per 10,000 sold cars
   Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 111
   Sales, 2018-2020: 180,668
3. Dodge Charger
   Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 6.0 per 10,000 sold cars
   Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 152
   Sales, 2018-2020: 254,588
4. Chevrolet Camaro
   Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 5.7 per 10,000 sold cars
   Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 74
   Sales, 2018-2020: 129,006
5. Chevrolet Cruze
   Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 5.0 per 10,000 sold cars
   Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 96
   Sales, 2018-2020: 191,376
6. Ford Fiesta
   Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 4.9 per 10,000 sold cars
   Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 56
   Sales, 2018-2020: 115,232
7. Chevrolet Malibu
   Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 4.4 per 10,000 sold cars
   Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 163
   Sales, 2018-2020: 367,496
8. Nissan Versa
   Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 4.3 per 10,000 sold cars
   Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 82
   Sales, 2018-2020: 190,677
9. Kia Soul
   Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 4.0 per 10,000 sold cars
   Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 111
   Sales, 2018-2020: 274,295
10. Nissan Sentra
    Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 4.0 per 10,000 sold cars
    Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 197
    Sales, 2018-2020: 492,309
11. Dodge Journey
    Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 4.0 per 10,000 sold cars
    Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 83
    Sales, 2018-2020: 209,124
12. Kia Optima
    Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 3.9 per 10,000 sold cars
    Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 95
    Sales, 2018-2020: 246,137
13. Kia Forte
    Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 3.8 per 10,000 sold cars
    Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 106
    Sales, 2018-2020: 282,570
14. Hyundai Elantra
    Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 3.7 per 10,000 sold cars
    Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 179
    Sales, 2018-2020: 480,984
15. Nissan Altima
    Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 3.6 per 10,000 sold cars
    Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 200
    Sales, 2018-2020: 556,317
16. Ford Mustang
    Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 3.5 per 10,000 sold cars
    Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 73
    Sales, 2018-2020: 209,421
17. Nissan Frontier
    Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 2.9 per 10,000 sold cars
    Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 60
    Sales, 2018-2020: 206,832
18. Dodge Grand Caravan
    Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 2.6 per 10,000 sold cars
    Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 82
    Sales, 2018-2020: 313,340
19. Toyota Corolla
    Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 2.6 per 10,000 sold cars
    Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 219
    Sales, 2018-2020: 845,761
20. Toyota Camry
    Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 2.6 per 10,000 sold cars
    Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 251
    Sales, 2018-2020: 974,765

Have you read?
Revealed: These Are The Countries with Highest Rates of Infant Mortality.
Report: Austria Citizenship by Investment Programme, 2023.
Report: Cambodia Citizenship by Investment Programme, 2023.
Report: Dominica Citizenship by Investment Programme, 2023.
Report: Egypt Citizenship by Investment Programme, 2023.
Report: Grenada Citizenship by Investment Programme, 2023.