IIHS Report: Most Risky Drivers Drive Cheapest Most Dangerous Vehicles
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The proportion of U.S. teens killed driving older, smaller vehicles has remained virtually unchanged over the past decade, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows.
More than a quarter of teen drivers killed in crashes during 2013-17 were driving micro, mini or small cars, and nearly two-thirds were driving 6-15-year-old vehicles, indicating almost no change compared with 2008-12. In both periods, fatally injured adults crashed in newer, larger vehicles much more often than teens.
Data on vehicle miles traveled from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey also suggest teens tend to drive older cars than adults, though the survey doesn’t include information about vehicle size. Teens logged more than half of their miles in vehicles more than 11 years old, compared with less than 30 percent for adults, the survey found.
“It’s understandable that parents don’t want to shell out big bucks for their teen’s first car, and they probably don’t realize how much safer a newer, larger vehicle is,” says IIHS Research Scientist Rebecca Weast, lead author of the paper. “Small vehicles don’t protect as well in a crash, and older vehicles are less likely to be equipped with essential safety equipment.”
A shorter front end means small cars offer less protection than larger ones, and their lesser mass means they absorb more force in collisions with larger vehicles (See “Driver death rates remain high among small cars,” May 28, 2020). Newer vehicles are also generally safer than older ones, as safety technologies that were less common a decade ago, such as side airbags and electronic stability control, are now universal.
Previous research has shown that teens drive less than older drivers, but they crash about 4 times as often, relative to the number of miles they drive.
To address the problems with teen vehicle choice, IIHS began compiling a list of affordable and safe used vehicles for teens in 2014. This year, the Institute partnered with Consumer Reports (CR) to issue joint recommendations that incorporate CR’s reliability ratings, as well as the results of that organization’s emergency handling and braking tests (see “Consumer Reports, IIHS team up to recommend used vehicle options for teens,” July 30, 2020).
To determine how often teens are killed in different types of vehicles, Institute researchers compared data on fatal crashes from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System with vehicle information from the IIHS-affiliated Highway Loss Data Institute for 2013-17. The data include information on the availability of front and side airbags and electronic stability control, as well as the age and curb weight of the vehicle.
The researchers examined how the vehicles involved in fatal crashes differed for drivers ages 15-17 and 35-50. They also compared their results to those from an earlier study of crashes that occurred in 2008-12 to find out if the types of vehicles that teens drive have changed over time.
Among the drivers killed in fatal crashes during 2013-17, 28 percent of the teens were driving a micro, mini or small car, compared with 19 percent of adults. The vehicles in which teens were killed were 250 pounds lighter during 2013-17, on average, than those driven by adults.
Less than 4 percent of the teen drivers killed were behind the wheel of vehicles under 3 years old, compared with 9 percent of adults. Meanwhile, 38 percent of the teens were killed while driving 11-15-year-old vehicles, compared with 32 percent of the adult drivers.
These proportions changed little from 2008-12, though a greater percentage of drivers in all age groups were killed driving older vehicles during the current study period.
Teens were also less likely to be driving vehicles equipped with standard side airbags and electronic stability control (ESC) and more likely to be driving models on which those features aren’t even options. However, the difference between the number of teens and adults killed driving vehicles without ESC has narrowed since 2008-12 — most likely because that feature was mandated for all new vehicles beginning in 2012.
“Despite everything we know about young drivers and crash risk, teens are still driving the least safe vehicles,” Weast says.
Updated July 2020; Safer vehicles for teens
For many families, a brand new Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ isn't in the budget for a teen's vehicle. In a national phone survey conducted for IIHS of parents of teen drivers, 83 percent of those who bought a vehicle for their teenagers said they bought it used.
With that reality in mind, in 2014, we began publishing a list of affordable used vehicles that meet important safety criteria for teen drivers.
Consumer Reports (CR) has published similar lists of recommended vehicles for teens, using different criteria such as vehicle reliability and performance in braking and emergency handling tests.
Now our organizations have joined forces to recommend safe, reliable and affordable used vehicles. Our goal is to make it even easier for young drivers or their parents to find a vehicle that checks all the boxes for safety, performance and reliability.
There are two tiers of recommended vehicles, best choices and good choices. Prices range from a little over $5,000 to nearly $20,000, so parents can buy the most safety for their money, whatever their budget.
Remember to check for recalls!
Use the Vehicle Identification Number to check for outstanding recalls before buying a used vehicle. To receive future recall notices, notify the manufacturer of your purchase. NHTSA also advises vehicle owners to check its database for new recalls every six months or so.
Best choices
All listed vehicles earn good ratings in the IIHS moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, as well as a good or acceptable rating in the driver-side small overlap front test. If rated by NHTSA, they earn 4 or 5 stars overall or 4 or 5 stars in the front and side tests under the old rating scheme. All come with standard electronic stability control and have a curb weight greater than 2,750 pounds.
These vehicles have above-average reliability scores from CR for the majority of model years listed and CR emergency handling scores of 3 out of 5 or higher. They also have dry braking distances (going from 60 mph to zero) of 145 feet or less.
Vehicles with substantially higher than average claim frequency under medical payment or personal injury protection coverage are excluded from this list.
| Small cars | Model years | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Mazda 3 sedan and hatchback | 2014 or newer; built after October 2013 | $7,000 |
| Subaru Impreza sedan and wagon | 2014 or newer | $8,700 |
| Hyundai Elantra GT | 2018 or newer | $14,000 |
| Kia Forte | 2019 or newer | $14,600 |
| Kia Niro hybrid and plug-In hybrid | 2018 | $15,400 |
| Toyota Corolla hatchback | 2019 or newer | $15,800 |
| Honda Insight | 2019 or newer | $17,900 |
| Subaru Crosstrek | 2018 or newer | $18,700 |
| Toyota Prius Prime | 2017 or newer | $18,700 |
| Midsize cars | Model years | Price |
| Subaru Legacy | 2013 or newer; built after August 2012 | $7,600 |
| Subaru Outback | 2013 or newer; built after August 2012 | $8,500 |
| Honda Accord sedan and coupe | 2013 or newer | $9,200 |
| Volkswagen Jetta | 2016-18 | $9,800 |
| Mazda 6 | 2015 or newer | $10,500 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2016-18 | $11,000 |
| Toyota Prius v | 2015-17 | $12,600 |
| Lincoln MKZ | 2016 or newer | $13,300 |
| Volvo S60 | 2017-18 | $15,300 |
| Nissan Altima | 2019 or newer | $17,000 |
| Audi A3 | 2017, 2020 | $18,300 |
| BMW 3-series sedan | 2017 or newer; built after November 2016 | $18,600 |
| Large car | Model years | Price |
| Hyundai Genesis | 2016 | $18,000 |
| Small SUVs | Model years | Price |
| Mazda CX-5 | 2014 or newer; built after October 2013 | $8,200 |
| Buick Encore | 2016 and newer | $10,700 |
| Chevrolet Equinox | 2016 or newer | $12,100 |
| Honda CR-V | 2015-16, 2019 or newer | $12,200 |
| Mazda CX-3 | 2017 or newer | $12,300 |
| Subaru Forester | 2016 or newer | $12,500 |
| Nissan Rogue | 2017 or newer | $13,400 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 2015 or newer; built after November 2014 | $13,800 |
| Honda HR-V | 2017-18; built after March 2017 | $14,000 |
| Hyundai Kona | 2018 or newer | $14,500 |
| Audi Q3 | 2016 or newer | $17,300 |
| Midsize SUVs | Model years | Price |
| GMC Terrain | 2014, 2016 or newer | $9,400 |
| Kia Sorento | 2016 or newer | $13,400 |
| Nissan Murano | 2015 or newer | $13,800 |
| Hyundai Santa Fe Sport | 2017-18 | $15,800 |
| Hyundai Santa Fe | 2017 or newer; built after March 2016 | $17,800 |
| Mazda CX-9 | 2017 or newer; built after November 2016 | $18,400 |
| Lincoln MKX | 2017-18 | $19,600 |
| Minivans | Model years | Price |
| Toyota Sienna | 2015 or newer | $11,900 |
| Honda Odyssey | 2015-16 | $12,400 |
| Kia Sedona | 2016-17 | $12,600 |
Good choices
All listed vehicles earn good ratings in the IIHS moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. If rated by NHTSA, they earn 4 or 5 stars overall or 4 or 5 stars in the front and side tests under the old rating scheme. All come with standard electronic stability control and have a curb weight greater than 2,750 pounds.
These vehicles have above-average reliability scores from CR for the majority of model years listed and CR emergency handling scores of 3 out of 5 or higher. They also have dry braking distances (going from 60 mph to zero) of 145 feet or less.
| Small cars | Model years | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Mazda 3 sedan and hatchback | 2011-13 | $5,300 |
| Honda Civic sedan | 2012-15 | $5,600 |
| Toyota Corolla sedan | 2012 or newer | $6,800 |
| Toyota Prius | 2011 or newer | $6,800 |
| Midsize cars | Model years | Price |
| Subaru Legacy | 2011-12 | $5,700 |
| Lincoln MKZ | 2011-12 | $6,000 |
| Subaru Outback | 2011-12 | $6,600 |
| Toyota Camry | 2012 or newer | $7,500 |
| Toyota Prius v | 2012-14 | $7,800 |
| Honda Accord sedan | 2012 | $7,900 |
| Hyundai Sonata | 2015-16 | $10,100 |
| Large cars | Model years | Price |
| Ford Taurus | 2011-15 | $5,400 |
| Hyundai Azera | 2012-14 | $7,200 |
| Buick Regal | 2015-16 | $8,900 |
| Small SUVs | Model years | Price |
| Hyundai Tucson | 2011-15 | $5,400 |
| Ford Escape | 2015, 2018-19 | $9,300 |
| Kia Sportage | 2015, 2018 | $10,200 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 2013-14 | $10,900 |
| Midsize SUVs | Model years | Price |
| Toyota Venza | 2009-15 | $7,000 |
| Toyota Highlander | 2008-19 | $7,800 |
| Ford Edge | 2014-15 | $10,000 |
| Minivans | Model years | Price |
| Toyota Sienna | 2011-14 | $7,100 |
- FootnotePrices, provided by Kelley Blue Book rounded to the nearest $100, are average U.S. values from July 1, 2020, for the lowest trim level and earliest applicable model year. The estimates are based on the following criteria: vehicle in good condition, typical mileage and private party purchase.
- FootnoteSome listed models include a "built after" date. This applies when a manufacturer makes changes to improve safety in the middle of a model year. Information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured can be found on the certification label typically affixed to the driver door or near it.
