Safest SUVs

If you are planning to buy a new car, nine times out of ten an SUV is on your car list. If that's the case, you're really picking things out-the choices are dazzling. Whether you want a small or full size SUV, or anything in between, there is almost every price point, shape, size and powertrain configuration you can think of.

Here, we rank the best SUVs in each market segment based on approximately 200 data indicators, including acceleration performance, handling, comfort, cargo space, fuel economy, cost performance, and driving pleasure. Car and Driver's ranking is based on the results of a large number of instrument tests we conduct on hundreds of models every year, coupled with the subjective feelings accumulated by our senior editors during driving on real road conditions. We take rankings very seriously because our goal is to give you a thorough understanding of every car you are interested in.

The ranking of Car and Driver stems from our extensive instrument testing on hundreds of models every year and the subjective feelings accumulated by our senior editorial team in real driving environments. We selected the safest SUVs based on data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and then ranked each SUV based on approximately 200 additional metrics-including acceleration performance, handling, comfort, cargo space, fuel economy, value for money, and enjoyment of driving. We treat rankings very carefully because we want you to know the models you are interested in. This list includes our highest-rated SUVs, which won both the 2024 IIHS "Best Safety Choice" award and the NHTSA five-star safety rating.