Most people think that buying a large car means buying a safe car. While that statement does hold merit, all large cars are not equally safe. And purchasing a large, heavy sedan is not for everyone. With that in mind, Insure.com's Safe Autos For Everyone (S.A.F.E.) Program identifies the safest in six categories: small cars, medium-sized cars, heavy cars, SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks. (For full details about the program see

Vehicles in each category are selected based on how well they performed in crash tests by both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). To be awarded the Insure.com S.A.F.E. Car designation, the model must be tested by both the IIHS and NHTSA and receive ratings of:


1. Good" in the IIHS's overall frontal-offset crash test performance rating (on a scale of "Poor," Marginal," "Acceptable," and "Good").

2. Five stars in NHTSA's frontal-impact crash tests and a minimum of four stars in NHTSA's side-impact crash tests (on a scale of one to five stars), meaning a 10 percent or less chance of serious injury.

Further, because SUVs and pickup trucks are more than twice as likely to be involved in rollovers, according to NHTSA, these types of vehicles must score no lower than four stars in NHTSA's rollover resistance rating (on a scale of one to five stars), meaning a 20 percent or less chance of a rollover in a one-car accident.