Supersize Pickups, Muscle Cars, and Small Cars Are Deadliest Vehicles, New Report Shows | Insurify

Small-car drivers are more at risk of dying in a car crash, and big-vehicle drivers are more likely to kill the other driver in an accident, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s latest driver death rate report.

The Kia Rio had the highest driver death rate, the IIHS reported. And the Ram 3500 crew cab long bed 4WD had the highest other-driver death rate. More than half of the vehicles with the highest driver death rates were small, sports, or muscle cars, the report noted. Among the vehicles with the highest other-driver death rate, 10 of the top 20 were large or very large pickups.

“Even the safest small cars don’t fare well in crashes with large pickups and heavy SUVs,” IIHS President David Harkey said in a news release on the report. “Powerful engines and marketing that attracts aggressive drivers is the issue for sports cars and muscle cars. They’re dangerous mainly because of how they’re driven.”

IIHS used 2021–2024 fatality data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and vehicle registration data from Mobility Global to identify the vehicles with the highest rates of driver and other-driver fatalities. Its report expresses vehicle fatality rates based on the number of driver deaths for every million registered vehicle years, with vehicle years representing one vehicle registered for one year.

Small cars and muscle cars have highest death rates for drivers

The Kia Rio’s death rate for drivers was 170 per million registered vehicle years. A vehicle year represents one vehicle registered for one year.

The average across all makes and models was 37 per million registered vehicle years.

Among the 20 vehicles with the highest driver death rates, six were small or very small vehicles but represented only two of the five worst vehicles. The other three were large muscle cars.

By contrast, five of the six models with both the lowest driver and other-driver death rates were luxury SUVs. The Audi Q7 4WD, BMW X7 4WD, Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD, Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class 4WD, Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class 2WD, and Toyota Tundra CrewMax 4WD all tied with driver death rates of zero.

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Although luxury vehicles may be equipped with numerous safety features, driver-specific factors — like driving fewer miles or at lower speeds — likely account for the low death rates, the IIHS report noted.

Bigger is bad news for other drivers in car crashes

The 10 deadliest vehicles for other drivers (not the driver behind the wheel of the counted vehicle) all had death rates far higher than the national average.

The vehicle with the worst score, the Ram 3500, had a death rate of 204 per million registered vehicle years. This was well above the second-worst scorer, the Dodge Charger HEMI 2WD (161). Vehicle size, weight, and engine power all likely play a role in landing vehicles on the list of highest other-driver death rates, the IIHS noted in its report.

What’s next: Drivers play a critical role in vehicle safety

In its report, the IIHS notes that “differences in driver behavior most likely also explain why death rates are lower for ordinary cars than for sports cars and muscle cars and lower still for wagons.”

Risky driving behaviors like speeding, driving under the influence, and distracted driving all contribute to a driver’s likelihood of being involved in an accident. Insurance companies recognize increased risks for certain drivers and vehicles, and price premiums accordingly. That’s why insurance rates increase after a DUI or at-fault accident.

“Size and power matter, as do vehicle crashworthiness and effective crash avoidance systems,” Harkey said. “But these results are also a reminder that a big part of how safe you are behind the wheel depends on how safely you drive.”

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