Safety ratings are one of the more useful — and more misunderstood — pieces of information available when choosing a vehicle. Used well, they help you compare how different models were designed to protect their occupants. Misread, they can lull you into assuming a specific used car is safe when its individual condition tells a different story. Here’s how to read them properly.
Who produces safety ratings
Safety ratings come from organisations that put vehicles through standardised crash tests and publish the results. In North America, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) runs a well-known rating program, and the independent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts its own respected tests. These bodies test representative examples of a model and report how it performed — giving buyers a consistent basis for comparison across vehicles.
What the ratings measure
Crash-test programs typically evaluate several scenarios — commonly front and side impacts and rollover resistance — and summarise performance as a star rating or category score. A higher score means better measured protection in those particular tests. Increasingly, ratings also account for crash-avoidance and driver-assistance technology, reflecting that the safest crash is the one that never happens. When you check a vehicle with our tool, any available overall and category ratings appear alongside recalls and complaints.
How to use ratings when buying used
Ratings are most valuable for comparison: weighing one model against another, or understanding how a vehicle you’re considering was designed to perform. Bear two things in mind. First, test programs and criteria evolve over time, so ratings are most directly comparable within a similar era — an older vehicle was rated against the standards of its day. Second, and most important, ratings describe the model, not the individual car.
Why a good rating doesn’t replace an inspection
This is the crucial limitation. A five-star rating reflects how that model performed when tested as designed and built. It says nothing about whether the specific used vehicle in front of you has been in a serious collision, been poorly repaired, or had safety systems compromised. A highly-rated model with hidden structural damage may no longer offer its designed protection. So treat safety ratings as one input, and pair them with a history report for accident records and an independent inspection for the vehicle’s actual condition.
Safety features to look for
Beyond the crash-test scores, the presence of safety technology matters — features like electronic stability control, advanced airbags, and modern driver-assistance systems. A VIN decode and the original window sticker can help confirm which safety features and packages a specific vehicle was actually built with.
Putting it together
Use ratings to choose a model designed to protect you, then use the rest of the buying checklist to confirm the individual vehicle still lives up to that design. Ratings tell you what a model can do; the checks tell you what this car will do.
Last reviewed: January 2026