The ten Safest SUVs
By Brian McHugh and George Kennedy | June 23, 2017
These ten SUVs Can Keep Your Family Safe
Safety is the very first thing many shoppers think about when buying a fresh car – even more so when shopping for an SUV. In fact, part of the appeal of early SUVs was the idea that their large size would protect you better in a crash.
Not all SUVs are created equal. They come in different shapes and sizes. However, these days, many have similar advanced safety features in the form of lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, automatic pre-collision braking, backup cameras, and more.
The following vehicles are the ten SUVs with the highest safety scores on U.S. News & World Report’s site. Some of the SUVs in this slideshow even boast the aforementioned advanced safety features as standard equipment!
It’s significant to note that, albeit a compact and a midsize SUV might have the same safety score, that doesn’t mean they will perform the same in a crash. Size matters with crashes, and larger vehicles tend to do better, all other things being equal.
It’s also significant to note that U.S. News’ scores, including our safety score, are updated via the year as fresh experienced reviews and data become available. Check out our rankings and reviews pages for each of these cars for the latest information on safety.
Click through the following slips to see the safest SUVs on the market.
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2017 Acura MDX
U.S. News Safety Score: 9.7/Ten | $44,050 (Details Below)
There is a lot of excitement regarding the two thousand seventeen Acura MDX due to its refreshed exterior styling and fresh standard driver assistance features. The winner of our two thousand seventeen Best Luxury 3-Row SUV for the Money award, the MDX has a near-perfect safety score, earned the coveted Top Safety Pick+ designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), and received a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Some of the standard safety tech on the MDX includes active lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, and adaptive cruise control. If you want to step up and add the optional safety features, you`ll add front and rear parking sensors, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, and a 360-degree camera. All-new for this year is the Acura MDX Hybrid, which also has an overall safety score of 9.7 out of Ten.
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2017 Honda CR-V
U.S. News Safety Score: 9.7/Ten | $24,045 (Details Below)
Sitting atop our compact SUV, SUVs with two rows, and crossover SUVs rankings, the Honda CR-V is one of the safest and most reliable SUVs on the market. Not only is it No. One in those rankings, it also won our two thousand seventeen Best Compact SUV for the Money award and two thousand seventeen Best Compact SUV for Families award. Believe it or not, the accolades just keep on coming for the CR-V, which also received the Top Safety Pick+ designation from the IIHS and a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA.
Standard safety features include a rearview camera, tho’ higher trims suggest forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and Honda`s Driver Attention Monitor, which sends an alert if the car believes the driver is sleepy.
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2017 Mazda CX-3
U.S. News Safety Score: 9.7/Ten | $Nineteen,960 (Details Below)
A finalist for the two thousand seventeen Best Subcompact SUV for the Money award, the two thousand seventeen Mazda CX-3 is in its 2nd year of production and proceeds to impress critics. The CX-3 has a near flawless safety score at 9.7 out of ten and was named a Top Safety Pick+ by the IIHS. Like most of the other vehicles on this list, it also earned a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA.
While the only standard safety feature is a rearview camera, available safety features include blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, adaptive headlights, and even a head-up display so drivers don`t have to take their eyes off of the road. The CX-3 is one of our highest-ranking subcompact SUVs.
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2017 Volvo XC60
U.S. News Safety Score: 9.7/Ten | $40,950 (Details Below)
A near-perfect safety score puts the two thousand seventeen Volvo XC60 on this list. The XC60 features Volvo`s City Safety low-speed collision warning system, which automatically applies the brakes if you get too close to the vehicle in front of you. Blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert also come standard. If you`re willing to shell out a few extra bucks, you can add adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, pedestrian and bicycle detection, a drive exhaustion monitor, and road sign recognition.
The XC60 was awarded the IIHS’ Top Safety Pick+ designation and earned a five-star overall crash test rating from the NHTSA.
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2017 Hyundai Santa Fe
U.S. News Safety Score: 9.7/Ten | $25,350 (Details Below)
One of our highest-ranking midsize SUVs, the two thousand seventeen Hyundai Santa Fe offers astounding safety scores at a remarkably low price. With a safety score of 9.7, the Santa Fe received the Top Safety Pick+ designation from the IIHS and a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA. Refreshed for 2017, the Santa Fe has numerous optional features that will keep you safe.
Albeit the Santa Fe`s only standard safety feature is a rearview camera, you can add extra features like lane switch assist, adaptive cruise control, a multi-angle parking camera, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear park assist, rear cross traffic alert, and blind spot monitoring.
On top of those features, you also get Hyundai`s industry-leading warranty, which covers your Santa Fe with a five-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.
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2017 Mercedes-Benz GLE
U.S. News Safety Score: 9.7/Ten | $52,000 (Details Below)
The winner of our two thousand seventeen Best Luxury 2-Row SUV for Families award, the two thousand seventeen Mercedes-Benz GLE is one of the safest luxury midsize SUVs that you can buy. Standard safety features include a rearview camera, crosswind assist, forward collision warning, trailer stability assist, a driver drowsiness monitor, and Mercedes-Benz Pre-Safe, which closes the windows, locks the doors, and tightens the seatbelts if a crash is imminent. That right there is enough to put it on this list, and those are only the features that come standard.
The GLE was named a Top Safety Pick+ by the IIHS, and also received a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA. When it comes to safety and driver assistance features, it is enormously difficult to top the GLE. Add a little more to the GLE`s $52,000 embarking price and you can have active blind spot assist, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, a surround-view camera, and parallel park assist.
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2017 Mazda CX-9
U.S. News Safety Score: Ten/Ten | $31,520 (Details Below)
Mazda showcased the world they were not to be taken lightly when they debuted the redesigned Mazda CX-9 last year. Sitting in the front half of our midsize SUV rankings, the CX-9 received a flawless ten safety score. Albeit it has yet to be tested by the NHTSA, the IIHS named the CX-9 a Top Safety Pick+.
Safety features on the CX-9 include blind spot monitoring, active lane keep assist, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, rear parking sensors, rear cross traffic alert, automatic emergency braking, and a rearview camera. However, only the rearview camera comes standard.
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2017 Fiat 500X
U.S. News Safety Score: Ten/Ten | $Nineteen,995 (Details Below)
The Fiat 500X brings the plucky styling of the five hundred to a larger crossover platform – but it`s still technically a subcompact SUV. It has nimble treating on curvy roads and is effortless to maneuver in taut spaces. It also earns a flawless ten out of ten safety score.
The IIHS awarded the 500X their Top Safety Pick designation. The 500X was not tested by the NHTSA.
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2017 BMW X1
U.S. News Safety Score: Ten/Ten | $33,750 (Details Below)
The two thousand seventeen BMW X1 is one of our highest-ranking luxury subcompact SUVs. Earning a flawless safety score, the X1 is considered a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS. Unluckily, the X1 doesn`t suggest any of its safety equipment as standard features, so you`ll have to add the Driver Assistance package ($1,150) in order to get a rearview camera, park assist, and front and rear parking sensors.
To get even more safety features, you can add the Driver Assistance Plus package ($700), which includes lane departure warning, low-speed collision mitigation, and forward collision warning. While it would be nice for those features to be standard, the upgrades are worth it for the X1.
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2017 Audi Q7
U.S. News Safety Score: Ten/Ten | $49,000 (Details Below)
The Audi Q7 has received its very first ever major redesign since it arrived in 2005. The fresh Q7 doesn`t have the most cargo space in the segment, but it does have a potent available supercharged Three.0-liter V6 making three hundred thirty three horsepower, as well as agile treating and a luxurious interior.
Audi`s Q7 also features Turning Assistant, which monitors the opposing lane of traffic when making a left turn at low speeds. If a vehicle is sensed, it will brake the Q7.