SAFETY RATINGS GUIDE
Understand
Vehicle Safety.
Vehicle Safety.
Safety ratings can be confusing. This guide breaks down what the stars, scores, and acronyms actually mean so you can shop with confidence.
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Safety FirstBuilt on NHTSA & IIHS data
The Ratings That Matter
A quick tour of the safety measures you will see.
⭐NHTSA Star RatingA 1–5 star overall rating based on federal crash testing.
🏆IIHS Top Safety PickAn award for vehicles that excel across crash and crash-avoidance tests.
💥CrashworthinessHow well a vehicle protects occupants in front, side, and rollover crashes.
🚨Crash AvoidanceHow effectively technology helps prevent a crash in the first place.
👶Child SafetyEase and security of installing child seats, plus rear-occupant protection.
⚙Driver AssistFeatures like automatic braking, lane keeping, and blind-spot monitoring.
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How to Read the Ratings
Higher is almost always better, but context matters. Here is how to interpret what you see.
5-Star / Top Safety Pick+
Excellent protection and strong crash-avoidance technology. A confident choice for safety-focused buyers.
4-Star / Top Safety Pick
Very good safety performance with minor gaps in specific tests.
3-Star or Mixed
Acceptable, but review which specific tests scored lower before deciding.
No Rating Available
Some vehicles are not tested. A missing rating is not a bad rating, but it means less independent data is available.
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How VIP Uses Safety Ratings
Safety is a leading factor in every score.
We combine NHTSA and IIHS results with recall history and available driver-assist features into the safety portion of your VIP Score.
This lets you compare safety across very different vehicles using one consistent measure.
- Crash ProtectionFront, side, and rollover performance.
- Avoidance TechSystems that help prevent collisions.
- Recall SignalsOpen safety recalls factored into the score.
- Consistent ViewOne safety measure across all vehicles.
Every VIP Score is backed by millions of data points and AI analysis.
🛡Safety RatingsNHTSA crash test data
🔧Reliability IndexHistorical reliability data
⛽Fuel EconomyEPA efficiency estimates
⚠Recall RiskOpen recalls & alerts
📊AI Condition CheckVisual & description analysis