In today’s society, safety is usually on everyone’s minds. However, that doesn’t mean that safety has always been a priority in driving. For starters, when it comes to auto features, there are legit reasons to be concerned about driverless car technology. At the same time, there are car models that are truly scary to drive.
Despite this, the fascination towards muscle cars and sports cars has remained quite strong. To be safe, however, it’s best to avoid models that already have a troubled reputation, such as these muscle cars that are downright scary and sports cars that are possibly worse.
8 Scary Muscle Car: Ford Mustang
Believe it or not, there was a time when Ford considered replacing the Mustang with the Probe. We imagine this wouldn’t go down well with a lot of muscle car fans considering the Mustang has become the carmakers most iconic models. Unfortunately, the Mustang also happens to be one of the deadliest muscle cars on the road today.
Data available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) reveals that the Mustang was involved in 1,548 crashes from 2015 to 2018.
7 Worse Sports Car: Subaru BRZ
Especially among car buyers on a budget, the BRZ is particularly attractive because of its relatively low starting price. Not to mention, this Japanese car also has pretty impressive handling capabilities, making it a rather ideal sports car. However, it must also be noted that the BRZ has a pretty high fatality record.
According to a study conducted by iSeeCars, the BRZ has a fatal accident rate of 6.9 per billion vehicle miles. At the same time, the 2014 to 2020 model years of the BRZ only received a marginal rating from the IIHS when it came to its structure and safety cage.
6 Scary Muscle Car: Chevrolet Camaro Coupe
There are a lot of legit reasons why the Camaro is the best muscle car you can buy right now. However, one also can’t deny that the Camaro’s future has become uncertain. This is because the car’s sales haven’t been as impressive as the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger in recent years.
At the same time, it’s also worth noting that the model has a high fatality record. In fact, data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reveals that the 2016 to 2017 Camaro coupe has an overall death rate of 39 per million registered vehicles.
5 Worse Sports Car: Nissan 370Z
Yes, we can all agree that the 370Z is a looker. It’s quite the performer too. Just to give you an idea, the 2020 370Z comes with a 3.7-liter V6 engine that cranks out 332 horses. Sadly, however, this sports car has also been involved in several fatal crashes over the years.
Data from iSeeCars shows that the 370Z has a fatal accident rate of 6.2 cars per billion vehicle miles. iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly also noted that also noted the 370Z is among the sports cars that “do not undergo crash safety tests and are not assigned safety ratings.”
4 Scary Muscle Car: 2014 to 2017 Dodge Charger
Today, the Charger is considered one of the best performance vehicles that also double as family cars. This model typically comes with several powertrain options, so car buyers get to choose just how powerful they want their Chargers to be. That said, it seems some drivers aren’t capable of handling the Charger safely.
This may explain why the IIHS found that the 2014 to 2017 two-wheel-drive Charger models have an overall death rate of 62 per million registered vehicles. Meanwhile, the 2014 to 2017 Charger Hemi two-wheel-drive trim has an overall death rate of 58.
3 Worse Sports Car: Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Fans of the Veloster are well aware that the Turbo, Turbo R-Spec, and Turbo Ultimate are the recommended trims if you want more power and better performance. For instance, the 2021 Veloster comes with a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine that delivers 201 horsepower for these trims. That said, it must also be noted that the Veloster Turbo has become one of the most dangerous sports cars in recent years.
According to data from iSeeCars, the Veloster Turbo has a fatal accident rate of 5.2 cars per billion vehicle miles.
2 Scary Muscle Car: 2014 to 2017 Dodge Challenger
The Challenger is another popular muscle car model from Dodge. In fact, there’s a lot of interest in the reservations for the 2021 Challenger Mopar Drag Pak. That said, there’s a grim reality surrounding the 2014 to 2017 models of the Challenger.
Data from the IIHS show that the car’s two-wheel-drive trims reached an overall death rate of 65 per million registered vehicles. Of these, 34 occurred as a result of multiple vehicle crashes, 30 were due to single-vehicle crashes, and 12 were due to single-vehicle rollover crashes.
1 Worse Sports Car: Porsche Carrera GT
The Porsche Carrera GT will, perhaps, go down in history as the most dangerous sports car that’s ever been built. As you may recall, this was the very car that allegedly played a role in the death of Fast and Furious star Paul Walker.
Meanwhile, car collector Jay Leno famously spun out of control while driving the Carrera GT at Talladega. According to CarBuzz, Porsche engineers said it “wasn’t possible” to install electronic stability control (ESC) in Porsche’s standard system for the car.