A new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) examining driver death rates for 2023 model-year vehicles finds that more than half of the models with the highest driver death rates are small cars, sports cars, and muscle cars. The study incorporates data from 2021 through 2024, according to one source, though IIHS states the data is for the 2023 model year only.

170 deaths per million registration years

Driver death rate for the Kia Rio, the highest in the study.

The Kia Rio had the highest driver death rate at 170 deaths per million registration years. The Nissan Versa followed at 164, and the Chrysler 300 at 132. The Dodge Challenger Hemi and non-Hemi variants posted rates of 127 and 125, respectively, though one source attributes the 127 figure to the Dodge Charger instead. The Dodge Charger was listed at 127 by one source and not mentioned by the other.

Nissan placed three vehicles in the top 10 driver death rate list: the Altima, Maxima, and Versa. Hyundai and Kia (Hyundai Group) also had three vehicles in the top 10, as did Chrysler and Dodge (Stellantis). The Chevrolet Malibu ranked seventh with 116 deaths per million registration years. Half of the vehicles in the top 10 have been canceled.

SUVs and Luxury Models Dominate Safety Rankings

Eighteen of the twenty models with the lowest driver death rates are SUVs. Six vehicles recorded a driver death rate of zero: Audi Q7, BMW X7, Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD, Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class, Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class, and Toyota Tundra CrewMax 4WD. The majority of these are luxury vehicles.

204 deaths per million registration years

Other-driver death rate for the Ram 3500 Crew Cab Long Bed 4WD, the highest in the study.

When measuring deaths of occupants in other vehicles, large trucks topped the list. The Ram 3500 Crew Cab Long Bed 4WD had the highest other-driver death rate at 204 deaths per million registration years. The Dodge Charger Hemi (V8) followed at 161, and the non-Hemi version at 136. The Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Crew Cab short bed posted 126, and the Ram 1500 Classic Crew Cab short bed 4WD reached 124, though one source cites additional Ram models with rates of 113.

Stellantis brands held seven of the top 10 spots for other-driver death rates. The first SUV in that list was the Cadillac XT5 with a rate of 100. The Ford F-150 SuperCrew appeared at No.12. Vehicles with the lowest other-driver death rates are biased toward luxury makes such as BMW, Volvo, Mercedes, and Porsche, according to the study.