Study: Most dangerous new cars revealed

New cars are safer than ever and even budget-friendly models under $30k now come filled with active safety and driver assistance aids to help avoid nasty prangs. 

Now, fresh data out of the US has revealed the new vehicles most likely to be involved in a fatal car accident – and several of them are sold in Australia.

That includes the Hyundai Venue compact SUV, the mid-size Honda CR-V SUV in hybrid form, and the Porsche 911 sports car, all of which are said to be up to five times more likely to be involved in a fatality.

Using vehicle crash fatality data collected from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), iSeeCars.com said in the last five years, there’s been a higher rate of accidents and fatalities on US roads, compared to the previous 12 years, with the country’s fatal accident rate now 2.8 per billion miles travelled.

The data – which looked at crashes involving newer vehicles built between 2018 and 2022 and including at least one occupant fatality – suggests it’s not a matter of how safe a vehicle is, but rather a result of driver fault.

According to iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer, the most common causes are thought to be distraction and/or excess speed.

“New cars are safer than they’ve ever been,” said Brauer.

“Between advanced chassis design, driver assist technology, and an array of airbags surrounding the driver, today’s car models provide excellent occupant protection.

“But these safety features are being countered by distracted driving and higher rates of speed, leading to rising accident and death rates in recent years.”

Listing 23 of the ‘most dangerous’ vehicles, the research named Tesla as the manufacturer with the highest fatal accident rate of all car brands, followed by Kia, Buick, Dodge, and Hyundai.

Meanwhile the Hyundai Venue small SUV took out the infamous title of ‘vehicle with the highest fatal accident rate’.

The Chevrolet Corvette was second on the list of most frequent occupant fatalities, followed by the Mitsubishi Mirage (no longer sold in Australia), the Porsche 911, Honda CR-V Hybrid, and Tesla Model Y.

Small and performance cars feature heavily across the list, while high-riding SUVs – which increase the risk of vehicle rollover – are also on notice.

According to iSeeCars, larger models like the Ford Bronco and Dodge Charger have fatal accident rates over twice the overall average (and more than 1.5 times the small car average).

See below for a list of the top 10.

Cars with the most frequent occupant fatalities

For the full results, head to iSeeCars.com.