Look at crash ratings by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. They are better than the government’s. You are smart to consider this.

Anonymous wrote:Look at the safety ratings — the MDX and XC90 are the safest.

Whoever said a minivan is very wrong — they perform poorly in safety testing.

Not true. Odyssey performs as well as MDX on all equivalent tests.

I researched this and the safest is a Subaru Ascent. Strongly considered it but still went with another Odyssey. But when my nest is empty I still think I will get a Subaru.

Suburban.

There’s a reason they’re used as up-armored govt VIP vehicles.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest one will be the safest.

Not for the other road users it won't...

Then don’t drive a small car

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t heavier vehicles going to have longer stopping distances based in part on weight of the vehicle? That said, some vehicles brake when crashes are anticipated.

Braking systems vary in their capabilities. The same braking system on a heavier vehicle will have longer stopping distances, assuming the same tires, but different vehicles usually have different brake systems, so vehicle mass is just one variable. High performance pad materials, bigger rotors which are ventilated to dissipate heat better, and other details make a big difference. So a heavy vehicle with a high performance brakiong system may stop in much shorter distances than a lighter vehicle with a more pdestrian braking system. Even within similar models, brakes can vary. The M-design brakes on BMW M class vehicles are practically racing brakes, and clamp down very hard, so a BMW X3M, for example, can stop in a much shorter distance than a non-M X3, despite both weighing relatively similar amounts.

Additionally, tires are an important contributor to braking distances. So-called touring-type all-season tires, designed to maximize wear and ride quality, are less adhesive than shorter-lived high-performance summer-only tires, which stick to the road much better but also wear out relativelly rapidly, and also usually provide a harsher ride. In the xample above of the BMWs, the X3M comes from the factory with summer-only high performance tires while other variants of the X3 come with all-season tires. The X3M can corner much harder, will accelerate faster due to less tire slip as well as a bigger engine, and will stop faster, all due to the high-performance nature of the tires it uses. But, those tire may only last 20K miles if the car is driven hard, and the X3M has a harsh ride by most standards, with the tires as well as the sport suspension both cointributing to that. If safety, rather than economy or plushness, is the priority, the X3M is a much better choice (price aside, of course).

Aren’t heavier vehicles going to have longer stopping distances based in part on weight of the vehicle? That said, some vehicles brake when crashes are anticipated.

I'd consider going for the newest one with the most safety features, whether standard or optionally available. There are small, incremental improvements to safety features every year, whether software upgrades which relate to safety sytems or in the metallurgy/design of the occupant safety cage. So all other things being more or less equal, I'd opt for the newest design.

Mass matters, too, but you need to research the weight of each vehicle to factor that in.

Another consideration will be handling security - does the vehicle remain controllable at the extremes. That's hard to evaluate; you need to read critical reviews to try to gain insight, but clues include whether the ride is excessively soft/plush, and whether the steering is overboosted. Vehicles marketed as sporty tend to handle better than ones marketed as luxurious, although those notions can sometimes coexist.

Lastly, I'd look at relevant performance statistics, like braking distance and skipad numbers, available from professional road tests/enthusiast magazines. Some vehicles come with lower performing tires and with mediocre braking systems, which can result in longer braking distances and less control during evasive maneuvers.

Look at the safety ratings — the MDX and XC90 are the safest.

Whoever said a minivan is very wrong — they perform poorly in safety testing.

Minivan, lol

Volvo XC90

Is the biggest vehicle always the safest for the passengers?

Anonymous wrote:The biggest one will be the safest.

Not for the other road users it won't...

The biggest one will be the safest.

Isn’t the Tahoe the largest on the list? So the 3rd row wouldn’t be as close to the back of the car in a rear-end collision?

Anyone have any thoughts on safest 3 row SUV from experience. We are looking between the following
2025 Pilot
2024 Lexus TX
2025 MDX
2024 Grand Highlander
2024 Tahoe

TIA