The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety offers consumers valuable data about current automobiles. By compiling and analyzing claims information, the data helps drivers choose the safest vehicle available when considering what car to purchase.
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The data shows that smaller cars were involved in accidents with the most frequency. This is partially a matter of physics, since a small car is more likely than a large car to sustain damage in the event of a collision. But according to Matt Moore, vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute, a driver’s income, location, and rate of use can also come into play.
“Smaller vehicles are more likely to be in urban areas, and smaller vehicles are likely to be driven more frequently because they’re owned by a single person in a given household,” he said in an interview. “Large cars tend to be owned by drivers who have two or three cars garaged, or more cars than people per household.”
Since a small car is more likely to be driven by a person who is the sole owner, it tends to get driven every day, he said. This increases its odds of being involved in an accident, where a car that’s driven only once a week is exposed to less risk.
Read ahead to see the 10 unluckiest cars in the U.S., according to the IIHS Status Report. All vehicles are 2009-2011 models, and all claim frequencies cited are per 1,000 insured vehicle years.
10. Chevrolet Aveo wagon
Claim frequency: 22.3
The Chevrolet Aveo wagon is an inexpensive mini station wagon with a high fuel economy. Those attributes make it attractive to the driver who relies on one car all week.
“If two vehicles are involved in a crash, the smaller vehicle generally fares worse with regard to passenger protection,” Karl Brauer, CEO and editor in chief of the automotive review aggregator Total Car Score, said in an e-mail.
9. Nissan Sentra
Claim frequency: 23
Like the Aveo, the Nissan Sentra is also a small car. According to Brauer, when manufacturers crash-test small cars like the Sentra, they normally test them in collisions with other small cars. This means that crash tests may not be the most reliable indicator of a vehicle’s susceptibility to personal injury crashes.
“When a vehicle is crash-tested, it hits either a stationary barrier or another vehicle of roughly the same size and weight,” he said. “This means crash test ratings do not take into account what happens when two vehicles of different sizes collide.”
8. Dodge Avenger
Claim frequency: 23.7
The Dodge Avenger is a midsize vehicle. Since it is larger than a small car, does this mean it’s also involved in fewer personal injury accidents? Not necessarily, as its high claim frequency implies.
According to Dodge, the 2011 Avenger features a 283 horsepower V6 engine, the most powerful in its class. This may make the urge to put the pedal to the metal difficult to resist.
“In addition to small vehicles, the list of high injury-claim frequencies also includes models known for their powerful engines,” the IIHS Status Report said. “As with the high collision losses for these vehicles, these high injury frequencies are likely a result of the way they are driven.”
6. (tie) Hyundai Accent
Claim frequency: 24.6
The Hyundai Accent is a subcompact that debuted in 1995. Its low price makes it an attractive option, but it received lower safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
For the 2009 and 2010 models, the Accent received a three-out-of-five side impact rating for rear-seat passenger safety. It also received an overall rating of “poor” in side-impact crashes from the IIHS.
6. (tie) Nissan Versa
Claim frequency: 24.6
The Nissan Versa is more than just a small, inexpensive car. It’s one of the smallest cars offered by its manufacturer, and it was briefly the lowest-priced car in the U.S., with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $9,990 in 2008.
The Versa’s small size can make it risky in an accident. “We know that in the real world, if all else is equal, a larger, heavier vehicle does a better job protecting occupants than a smaller, lighter one,” Kim Hazelbaker, senior vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute, said in the IIHS report. “These claim frequencies demonstrate that clearly.”
