Today’s SUVs are safer than ever, and that’s a great thing! However, while all are required by law to have minimum safety features, some SUVs definitely stand out for their advanced vehicle safety features. There are dozens of lists on the safest SUVs and dozens of ways to consider which SUVs are the safest. To keep things simple, we’re going to share the top five safest SUVs in three categories: small, midsize, and large. For consistency in our lists, we used the latest data available from U.S. News & World Report, and have included a link to the full article for each category.

Top 5 Safest SUVs (Small)

  1. 2019 BMW X3 – U.S. News (USN) Safety Score: 10/10 – The X3 is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ and includes standard vehicle safety features like a rearview camera, a driver drowsiness monitor, traffic sign recognition, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, and front and rear parking sensors. You can also add on a surround-view camera system, a head-up display, parallel park assist, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, and front and rear cross traffic alert.
  2. 2019 Hyundai Kona – USN Safety Score: 10/10 – The Kona is another IIHS Top Safety Pick+. The Kona’s standard safety features include a rearview camera, a driver-attention monitor, lane keep assist, and forward collision warning. Extra features that are available are automatic high beams, rear parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, pedestrian detection, and adaptive cruise control.
  3. 2019 Kia Niro – USN Safety Score: 10/10 – The Niro is also a 2019 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ but its only standard safety feature is a rearview camera. Luckily, there are plenty of optional safety features, like lane keep assist, lane change assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, and front and rear parking sensors.
  4. 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC – USN Safety Score: 10/10 – Just like the previous SUVs, the GLC is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+. The GLC’s standard features include a rearview camera, crosswind assist, active brake assist, and a driver drowsiness monitor. The GLC includes a unique safety feature known as Pre-Safe. This feature rolls up the windows and tightens up seat belts before a crash. Upgraded safety features that can be added on are a 360-degree parking camera, a head-up display, adaptive high beams, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, active park assist, pedestrian detection, and Pre-Safe Plus, which warns drivers of potential collisions coming from the rear and adds brake support to lessen the chances of secondary collisions.
  5. 2019 Volvo XC60 – USN Safety Score: 9.9/10 – The XC60 was not named an IIHS Top Safety Pick because it didn’t undergo one of the tests. However, it does come standard with a remarkable amount of safety features: a rearview camera, traffic sign recognition, active high-beam headlights, a driver drowsiness monitor, lane keep assist, oncoming lane mitigation, collision mitigation with active braking, automatic braking after a collision, and run-off-road mitigation and protection. In addition, this small SUV can even scan the road and provide warnings if it senses pedestrians, cyclists, and large animals. Safety features you can add on include a 360-degree camera, a head-up display, distance alert, rear cross traffic alert, active park assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring with steering assist, rear collision warning with braking, and front and rear parking sensors.

Top 5 Safest SUVs (Midsize)

  1. 2019 Kia Sorento – USN Safety Score: 9.9/10 – The Sorento received the highest scores possible in all IIHS tests and five stars from the NHTSA. The standard safety features on the Sorento are parking sensors, a surround-view camera system, adaptive cruise control, and more.
  2. 2019 Subaru Ascent – USN Safety Score: 9.9/10 – The Ascent also received the highest scores possible from the IIHS and five stars from the NHTSA.  The safety features that come standard with the Ascent include adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist. Higher trim levels also include features like blind spot monitoring and reverse automatic braking.
  3. 2019 Volkswagen Atlas – USN Safety Score: 9.7/10 – The Atlas scored well in most IIHS tests and received a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA. Some of the key standard safety features on the Atlas include blind spot monitoring and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. More standard features, like parallel park assist, are included with higher trim levels.
  4. 2019 GMC Acadia – USN Safety Score: 9.7/10 – The 2019 GMC Acadia earned a four-star overall rating from the NHTSA and the highest ratings from the IIHS in all categories except headlights. It comes standard with the following safety features: a rearview camera, a rear seat alert system, and GM’s Teen Driver system. More safety features are available with higher trims and include rear cross traffic alert and adaptive cruise control.
  5. 2019 Ford Edge – USN Safety Score: 9.5/10 – The Edge had a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA and Good ratings in most crash tests from the IIHS. The Edge comes standard with safety features like lane keep assist and blind spot monitoring. Options like adaptive cruise control and more are available on higher trims.

Top 5 Safest SUVs (Large)

  1. 2019 Ford Expedition – The Expedition was rated an impressive five stars overall by the NHTSA. The Expedition’s standard safety features are a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, and MyKey. Available add on safety features are automatic high beams, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, front parking sensors, parallel park assist, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, and adaptive cruise control.
  2. 2019 Lincoln Navigator – The Navigator is one of only two large SUVs to receive a five-star rating from NHTSA for 2019. Standard safety equipment includes a rearview camera, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, and front and rear parking sensors.  Optional advanced driver assistance technologies include a surround-view camera, a head-up display, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, emergency brake assist, pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, and parallel and perpendicular park assist.
  3. 2019 Toyota Sequoia – The 2019 Sequoia still needs to finish testing for its 2019 NHTSA overall rating, but it’s one of the few large SUVs that earns four stars in the rollover test. The Sequoia comes standard with lane departure warning, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, and adaptive cruise control. It also comes standard with a rearview camera, rear cross traffic alert, lane change assist, blind spot monitoring, and front and rear parking sensors.
  4. 2019 Chevrolet Tahoe – The Tahoe earns three out of five stars in the NHTSA rollover test and five stars in the side crash test. Standard vehicle safety features include a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, and Teen Driver. Safety features that can be added on are a head-up display, automatic high beams, front parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and a safety alert seat.
  5. 2019 Chevrolet Suburban – The Suburban earned the same NHTSA ratings as the Tahoe and the same standard vehicle safety features are available as well!

An Extended Vehicle Warranty for Your SUV

Whew! That was a lot of information to take in! But if you are looking for a new SUV, now you know the best SUVs ranked by safety features in the three main categories! Once you buy your SUV (or if you already have one), be sure to take proper care of it! Keeping up with maintenance and taking care of needed repairs are key to vehicle safety. It can be easy to hold off on repairs due to budget issues. This is where an extended vehicle warranty or vehicle protection plan can help. An extended car warranty or vehicle protection plan will help pay for most repairs and problems after the original manufacturer’s warranty expires. A vehicle protection plan can often pay for itself in just one auto repair bill and will give you the peace of mind knowing that your vehicle will be taken care of if a mechanical breakdown happens.

To learn more, research the available options for extended protection. autopom! would appreciate the opportunity to give you more information on vehicle protection plans and a free quote. When you get a vehicle protection plan from autopom!, you get much more than just repairs. You also get benefits like roadside assistance, nationwide breakdown coverage, and rental vehicle assistance! Call us to learn more.