The decision of which car to buy is an important one to consider for one simple reason - your life is at stake. Before choosing a car for yourself, it is essential to ensure that you pick one that’s safe. A common misconception people have is thinking that all cars are safe, when in fact there are quite a few dangerous ones out there.
Due to this, you need to do your research and stay informed of which cars are unsafe. One way of doing so is by looking into which cars have resulted in the most deaths so far or have gotten into the most accidents. It can be tricky to know which cars are unreliable, but luckily, we’re here to help!
To ensure that you make informed decisions and stay safe, here is a list of 15 dangerous cars to stay away from:
15 Mitsubishi Mirage
Considered to be the most dangerous car out there, the size and weight of the small Mitsubishi Mirage place it at a significant disadvantage. A mirage on a road with thousands of F-150s everywhere will be unable to stand a chance. In fact, it will probably struggle against any sub-compact car.
14 Chevrolet Corvette
Compared to other sports cars available at the same price, the Corvette outperforms in terms of speed and power. However, this vehicle is also unfortunately quite poor safety-wise and continues to be a dangerous vehicle. But credit should be given where it’s due, and efforts to make the car safer have taken place over the last few years.
13 Honda Fit
The unfortunate reality, as proven by the Honda Fit, is that smaller cars are more likely to be involved in fatal accidents. While the Fit is fun to drive and has a lot of utility to offer, the fatal accident rate of the car should make you think twice about purchasing it.
12 Kia Forte
For a long time, the Kia Forte has been respected for being a car capable of getting solid gas mileage. However, it has not fared well when you consider its fatal accident rate. As it is a cheap option, it is understandable why one would buy it - but is it really worth the risk?
11 Chevrolet Spark
Being 1 of 11 subcompacts to receive an “acceptable” rating from the IIHS during the small-overlap crash test in 2014 means that this car may not be too risky to buy. However, since it is a small car, it is no surprise that it would struggle on the road if in a crash with larger and heavier cars out there.
10 Subaru BRZ
While the Subaru BRZ is a good choice when it comes to an affordable rear-wheel drive and a sports car experience, it is not the safest car in the market. In terms of structure and safety, the car barely makes the cut. Minimal backseat space puts passengers at the back at risk of high impact in the case of collision.
9 Nissan 370Z
The Nissan 370Z is a Japanese sports car available at a relatively affordable price. However, the car has poor crash test ratings, making it an unsafe option. The car is notorious for having brakes that overheat and fail to work at high speeds. This insufficient brake cooling flaw makes it a dangerous car that should be avoided if you’re looking to drive at high speeds.
8 Nissan Versa
According to the IIHS, the Nissan Versa was one of the deadliest cars in 2015, alongside the Ford Focus and Kia Rio. By the end of 2015, the sedan was seen as responsible for 130 deaths per one million, while the hatchback model was associated with 71 tragic deaths.
7 Kia Rio
Unfortunately, the Rio is another affordable car that compromises significantly on safety. Crash tests for the Kia Rio have shown that it has a number of weak points that make it dangerous. For example, the passengers at the back are at high risk in the case of a side impact.
6 Dodge Challenger
Since sports cars have a fatal accident rate of 4.6 cars per billion vehicle miles, it is no surprise to see the Dodge Challenger on this list. The car is designed to keep speed and power at the forefront while compromising safety and hence it has resulted in a lot of fatalities.
5 Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro has been associated with 80 fatal accidents, making it an unsafe choice. Even though it comes with a number of safety features, the issue with the car lies in all the power it has. Considering the muscle of the car, it is possible for drivers to easily lose control of the car.
4 Kia Soul
Earlier models of the Kia Soul have failed crash tests due to front overlap failures. This resulted in the car being assigned a “poor” rating by the IIHS. However, Kia made safety upgrades to it in 2014 making it a less risky car. Unfortunately, the Soul is still small enough to find itself in fatal situations.
3 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
The Veloster Turbo is one of the most affordable and fun cars available, but tragically, it has the same fatal accident rate as the Versa Note. The IIHS rated it poorly on the side-impact test and front overlap test. The 2019 model has come with safety upgrades, but we are yet to see how effective they are.
2 Nissan Versa Note
With a fatal accident rate of 5.2 cars per billion miles, the Nissan Versa Note has not fared well safety-wise in comparison to other automobiles on the road. According to the NHTSA, a particular concern about the car is its front crash rating which is alarmingly low at just 3 stars.
1 Ford Pinto
Subcompact cars have a higher risk of causing fatalities - leaving the Ford Pinto at a disadvantage. It has been controversial with its fuel-tank design being questionable after numerous deadly fires related to the tanks rupturing during rear-end collisions. The safety issues of this car have been documented to the point of being known as a “landmark narrative”.