In baseball, there’s a certain art to stealing a base. You have to take a strong lead, get a good jump, accelerate quickly, and execute a perfect slide in order to maximize your chances of success. But there’s a truism about base stealing which is the same as choosing a car to drive: Nothing else matters if you aren’t safe. The top safest cars in 2016 do what vehicles should — protect you.
People purchase certain vehicles for a variety of reasons, from style and creature comforts to gas mileage and power. But arguably the most important mission of a vehicle is to keep its occupants safe while transporting them from one place to another.
The Safest 78
With that in mind, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) selected its TOP SAFETY PICKS for model year 2016. The IIHS conducts a many tests that are designed to measure the level of crash protection, prevention, and avoidance on every vehicle. Here are the vehicles that it tapped as TOP SAFETY PICKS:
Minicars
- Mini Cooper
- Scion iA
Small cars
- Acura ILX
- Chevrolet Sonic
- Honda Civic 2-door coupe
- Honda Civic 4-door sedan
- Kia Soul
- Lexus CT 200h
- Mazda 3 4-door (hatchback)
- Mazda 3 4-door (sedan)
- Nissan Sentra
- Subaru Crosstrek
- Subaru Impreza
- Subaru WRX
- Toyota Prius
- Volkswagen Golf
- Volkswagen GTI
Midsize cars
- Chevrolet Malibu
- Chevrolet Malibu Limited
- Chrysler 200
- Honda Accord 2-door coupe
- Honda Accord 4-door sedan
- Hyundai Sonata
- Kia Optima
- Nissan Altima
- Nissan Maxima
- Subaru Legacy
- Subaru Outback
- Toyota Camry
- Toyota Prius v
- Volkswagen Jetta
- Volkswagen Passat
Midsize luxury cars
- Audi A3
- Audi A4
- BMW 2 series
- Lexus ES 350
- Volvo S60
- Volvo V60
Large cars or luxury cars
- Toyota Avalon
- Acura RLX
- Audi A6
- Hyundai Genesis
- Infiniti Q70
- Lexus RC
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- Volvo S80
Small SUVs
BMW X1- Buick Encore
- Fiat 500X
- Honda CR-V
- Hyundai Tucson
- Mazda CX-3
- Mazda CX-5
- Mitsubishi Outlander
- Nissan Rogue
- Subaru Forester
- Toyota RAV4
Midsize SUVs
- Chevrolet Equinox
- GMC Terrain
- Honda Pilot
- Kia Sorento 4-door SUV
- Nissan Murano
- Toyota Highlander
Midsize luxury SUVs
- Acura MDX
- Acura RDX
- Audi Q5
- Infiniti QX60
- Lexus NX
- Lexus RX
- Lincoln MKX
- Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class
- Volvo XC60
- Volvo XC90
Minivans
- Honda Odyssey
- Kia Sedona
Large pickups
- Ford F-150 Crew cab pickup
- Ford F-150 Extended cab pickup
One important note: Only eight of these 78 cars (the ones listed in italics) achieved this esteemed designation with the standard equipment that comes included on all these vehicles. The rest of the vehicles on this list only made the list when they were equipped with front crash protection – which is an optional feature that usually costs extra. So, if you seek out one of these 2016 models because of their TOP SAFETY PICK rating, make sure that the particular vehicle you choose to buy does include front crash protection.
Safe Cars and Affordable Auto Insurance
In many cases, a safer vehicle will allow you to pay lower premiums for auto insurance. That’s because these vehicles are designed to protect drivers and passengers from suffering serious injuries (or death) in a collision, or to help avoid getting into a collision into the first place. And since this reduced risk means that insurers are less likely to have to pay out a costly claim, they generally pass the savings on to their customers.
AIS Insurance can help you find auto insurance discounts whether you drive an exceptionally safe car or not. They can provide you with multiple auto insurance quotes so that you can compare different coverage side by side. So check out AIS Insurance today – and remember to stay safe on the roads, no matter what car you drive.
The information in this article was obtained from various sources. This content is offered for educational purposes only and does not represent contractual agreements, nor is it intended to replace manuals or instructions provided by the manufacturer or the advice of a qualified professional. The definitions, terms and coverage in a given policy may be different than those suggested here and such policy will be governed by the language contained therein. No warranty or appropriateness for a specific purpose is expressed or implied.
