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

Small cars have higher rates of driver deaths, while vehicles with powerful engines have higher rates of other-driver deaths.

Evelyn Pimplaskar
Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
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Chris Schafer
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Chris Schafer
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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.

Vehicle Make and Model
Vehicle Type/Size
Driver Death Rate (per million registered vehicle years)
Kia RioMinicar170
Nissan VersaSmall car164
Chrysler 300 2WDLarge car132
Dodge Charger HEMI 2WDLarge car127
Dodge Challenger 2WDLarge car125
Kia ForteSmall car120
Chevrolet MalibuMidsize car116
Hyundai Venue 2WDSmall SUV113
Nissan AltimaMidsize car105
Nissan MaximaMidsize car105
Hyundai Kona 2WDSmall SUV95
Kia K5Midsize car94
Dodge Charger 2WDLarge car90
Chevrolet CamaroLarge sports car88
Nissan KicksSmall car86
Dodge Durango 2WDLarge SUV83
Hyundai SonataMidsize car83
Subaru ImprezaSmall car83
Chevrolet CorvetteMidsize sports car82
Nissan SentraSmall car81
Source: IIHS

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.

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.

Vehicle Make and Model
Vehicle Type/Size
Other-Driver Death Rate (per million registered vehicle years)
Ram 3500 crew cab long bed 4WDVery large pickup204
Dodge Charger HEMI 2WDLarge car161
Dodge Charger 2WDLarge car136
Chevrolet Silverado 3500 crew cab 4WDVery large pickup126
Ram 1500 Classic crew cab short bed 4WDLarge pickup124
Ram 1500 Quad 2WDLarge pickup113
Ram 2500 crew cab short bed 4WDVery large pickup113
Chevrolet Silverado 2500 crew cab 4WDVery large pickup111
Ram 2500 crew cab long bed 4WDVery large pickup102
Cadillac XT5 2WDMidsize luxury SUV100
Ram 1500 crew cab short bed 2WDLarge pickup100
Ford F-150 SuperCrew 2WDLarge pickup99
GMC Sierra 2500 crew cab 4WDVery large pickup98
Volkswagen Atlas 2WDMidsize SUV94
Chevrolet MalibuMidsize car91
Ford Expedition 2WDLarge SUV88
Chevrolet CamaroLarge sports car87
Chrysler Pacifica 2WDVery large minivan84
Nissan Murano 4WDMidsize SUV84
Kia K5Midsize car83
Source: IIHS

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.”

Evelyn Pimplaskar
Written byEvelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
Evelyn Pimplaskar
Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
  • 10+ years in insurance and personal finance content

  • 30+ years in media, PR, and content creation

Evelyn leads Insurify’s content team. She’s passionate about creating empowering content to help people transform their financial lives and make sound insurance-buying decisions.

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Evelyn leads Insurify’s content team. She’s passionate about creating empowering content to help people transform their financial lives and make sound insurance-buying decisions.

Chris Schafer
Edited byChris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
Chris Schafer
Chris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
  • 15+ years in content creation

  • 7+ years in business and financial services content

Chris is a seasoned writer/editor with past experience across myriad industries, including insurance, SAS, finance, Medicare, logistics, marketing/advertising, and many more.

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John Leach
Reviewed byJohn LeachLicensed P&C Agent, Chief Copy Editor
Photo of an Insurify author
John LeachLicensed P&C Agent, Chief Copy Editor
  • Licensed property and casualty insurance agent

  • 10+ years editing experience

  • NPN: 20461358

John is Insurify’s Chief Copy Editor, helping ensure the accuracy and readability of Insurify’s content. He’s a licensed agent specializing in home and car insurance topics.

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