The United States has embraced a norm where larger vehicles are considered ideal. While other countries see a midsize SUV as the upper end of the size range, Americans treat it as an average vehicle of choice. Though regional lifestyles may influence vehicle trends, it is clear that most drivers prefer large vehicles, such as SUVs and pickup trucks. For practicality, versatility, and status, bigger is generally seen as better.
However, while drivers and passengers may enjoy the advantages of their massive vehicles, those benefits come with a trade-off in serious collisions. A recent investigation revealed the heaviest 1% of SUVs and trucks in America save far fewer lives than they cost. For every life these vehicles protect, more than a dozen lives are lost in smaller vehicles during multi-vehicle crashes. Their size and weight offer a physical advantage that disproportionately transfers the impact to vulnerable occupants of smaller vehicles.
To better understand this phenomenon, our study undertakes a detailed analysis of fatality shares and distributions in two-vehicle crashes, examining all common passenger vehicle body types across every possible pairing, where data allows. Using the most recent five years (2019 to 2023) of crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this study aims to inform how vehicle size and design influence crash outcomes.
Furthermore, the second part of our study focuses on specific vehicle models. We examine 150 vehicle models that are associated with the highest number of fatalities on U.S. roads in multi-vehicle crashes. These vehicles are not assumed to be inherently the most dangerous, but their frequent involvement in fatal crashes makes them relevant for analysis, as it often reflects market popularity. For each listed model, we compare fatalities among occupants of that vehicle to fatalities in all other vehicles it has struck, providing a clear, two-group view of how crash outcomes are distributed.
Key Takeaways:
- Large SUVs (20%) and light pickups (27%) have the lowest average occupant fatality shares in two-vehicle crashes. Fatality proportions increase as vehicle sizes shrink, with convertibles showing the highest average share at 53% of occupants fatally injured.
- When analyzing two-vehicle collisions by body style pairings, hatchbacks stand out as especially vulnerable, with high occupant fatality proportions across all pairings. The pairing with the largest disparity involved hatchbacks (65%) versus light pickups (10%), producing a fatality share difference of 55 percentage points.
- Large SUVs, by contrast, consistently show the lowest occupant fatality share when colliding with other body types, with shares as low as 11%. The one exception is when large SUVs collide with light pickups. In these crashes, 53% of large SUV occupants were fatally injured, compared with 36% of pickup occupants.
- Moreover, this SUV-pickup pairing also produced the highest overall two-vehicle fatality share, with 46% of all occupants killed. By comparison, the average across all two-vehicle pairings is roughly one in three occupants.
- At the model level, the Jeep Grand Cherokee had the lowest share of fatalities in multi-vehicle crashes, with just 23% of deaths in these crashes occurring among its occupants. At the other extreme, the Chevrolet Cavalier was the most at risk, with 88% of fatalities in crashes involving this vehicle occurring among its occupants.
- The Dodge Charger, Dodge Ram Pickup, and the Cadillac Escalade / ESV offered stronger occupant protection compared with other vehicles in their respective body type classes.
Read on to uncover further findings.
How Fatalities Differ When Vehicle Types Collide
Firstly, it’s important to understand why larger vehicles dominate U.S. roads. According to internal data from Edmunds, SUVs accounted for 58% of all vehicle sales in the U.S. in 2024. For buyers, such vehicles offer greater passenger and cargo capacity, improved outward visibility from their higher frames, and all-wheel drive that remains convenient beyond urban and suburban areas. At the same time, their bulk conveys a sense of protection that reassures many riders when weighing the risks of collisions. For automakers, the incentives are equally strong: SUVs generate higher profit margins than sedans or hatchbacks. This has led many manufacturers to prioritize production and marketing strategies, further entrenching widespread adoption.
However, sedans, minivans, and light pickups continue to serve large segments of the population. These vehicles are valued for attributes such as fuel efficiency, affordability, maneuverability, or practicality. This range of options creates a road environment where collisions often involve diverse pairings, with outcomes heavily influenced by disparities in size and weight. For drivers and passengers, this means the type of vehicle they encounter on the road can dramatically affect their chances of survival.
To understand how impact is distributed among different body style pairings, we analyzed more than 30,000 two-vehicle fatal crashes over a five-year period. Below are the average occupant fatality shares among several vehicle body types in two-vehicle crashes. With this understanding, we can better compare how these shares change in relation to the opposing vehicle involved.
Vehicle body styles are sorted by decreasing average occupant fatality share, with convertibles at the top, where over half of occupants were killed, and large SUVs at the bottom, with one in five occupants losing their lives. This pattern correlates with vehicle size, as smaller and lighter vehicles show higher rates than their midsize and large counterparts. These figures represent an average occupant fatality share irrespective of the opposite vehicle’s profile.
In the following table, we examine these same shares by the specific opposing vehicle to understand these differences in crash severity. Both counts and the percentage of fatalities among occupants of each vehicle are presented, along with the percentage of all fatalities in the crash.
In most two-vehicle fatal crashes, about one in three occupants die. But within that average, risk is not shared equally. When a large vehicle, such as an SUV or pickup, collides with a much smaller vehicle like a hatchback or coupe, the smaller vehicle’s occupants almost always face a significantly higher fatality share, often exceeding 50%.
In contrast, fatalities in the larger vehicle remain comparatively low, sometimes dropping below 15%. Even crashes between large SUVs and midsize (or compact) SUVs show a notable disparity: 49% of midsize SUV occupants experience a fatal injury, compared to 18% of occupants in large SUVs. For families driving smaller cars, this means their odds of survival drop sharply when the other vehicle is much heavier.
The only case in which large SUVs exhibit a higher occupant fatality share is against light pickups. In these collisions, 53% of large SUV occupants die, while 36% of light pickup occupants die. In addition, this pairing produces the highest overall crash fatality share at 46%.
The most extreme disparities occur in collisions between light pickups and hatchbacks, where the fatality share difference exceeds 55 percentage points. Only about 10% of fatalities occur among light pickup occupants, compared to over 65% in hatchback occupants. Sedans show a similar pattern: when they collide with larger vehicles, their occupants often exhibit fatality shares well above 48%, while the larger counterpart frequently registers below 20%. The only exceptions are when sedans collide with other small vehicle types, such as convertibles or hatchbacks, where survival odds are more balanced.
Collisions between matching vehicle body types tend to produce mirrored fatality outcomes. In these crashes both vehicles experience similar fatality shares. Large SUV-to-large SUV crashes, for example, show nearly equal fatality proportions, with 32% of occupants in each vehicle dying. The same pattern is observed with Midsize SUVs and Minivans, despite differing body types.
A breakdown of each pairing’s fatalities by the proportion attributed to each vehicle is also included below for reference.
This chart reinforces the patterns discussed above, showing how fatalities distribute between vehicle pairings. Larger vehicles consistently account for a smaller share of fatalities, while smaller vehicles face the greatest risk.
How Different Car Models Fare in Deadly Crashes
While vehicle size and body type shape overall crash outcomes, additional variance can be seen at the model-level. In this section, we analyzed 150 vehicles most often linked to fatalities over the past five years in multi-vehicle crashes. For each model, we calculated the proportion of fatalities occurring among its own occupants compared with the fatalities in all other vehicles involved in the same crashes. This two-group approach provides a clearer view of which vehicles tend to protect their occupants and which place others at greater risk.
Listed models include the Ford F-Series, which has been the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for over 40 years. Other represented models include the Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota RAV4, Honda Civic, and Nissan Altima. These vehicles are part of daily life for millions of drivers and passengers, from commuters to families.
The table below lists models in alphabetical order and includes a dropdown to navigate by body style.
Among SUVs, large luxury models like the Cadillac Escalade / Escalade ESV show a relatively low crash fatality share of 28%. While the builds of these high-priced vehicles reflect strong protection for occupants, some mainstream compact SUVs also demonstrate safety advantages. For example, the Jeep Grand Cherokee accounts for just 23% of fatalities among crash occupants. Overall, this model ranked as the safest for its occupants.
However, popular midsize SUVs such as the Honda CR-V (62%) and Toyota RAV4 (51%) have much higher crash fatality shares, showing the range of survival odds within the SUV class.
Among pickups, the Ford F-Series and Chevrolet Silverado show relatively low crash fatality shares at 31% and 36%, respectively, while the Dodge Ram falls even lower at 25%. These figures suggest that Ram occupants are statistically more protected in fatal crashes compared with other trucks.
By contrast, models like the Ford Ranger and the pre-1995 Toyota Pickup carry the majority of fatalities among their occupants at 66% and 76%. The Toyota Pickup was eventually replaced by the Toyota Tacoma, which has a significantly lower crash fatality share at 46%. This model evolution is a good example of Americans’ shifting preference for larger vehicles.
Sedans also show a noticeable range. Midsize sedans like the Honda Accord (65%), Toyota Camry (62%), and Nissan Altima (65%) also carry the most fatalities among their occupants, though not to the extreme of the smallest vehicles. Popular compacts like the Honda Civic (72%) and Toyota Corolla (70%), who are often marketed as reliable and budget-friendly models, sit at the higher end of the risk spectrum.
Similarly, as was observed among SUVs, luxury models such as the BMW 3-Series (50%), Mercedes-Benz E Class (44%), and Infiniti G (47%) generally show lower crash fatality shares. These higher-end vehicles are often equipped with advanced safety features and stronger structural design that can make a meaningful difference in crash survivability.
Top 5 Models by Occupant Fatality Share
To make the extremes more tangible, the lists below highlight the five models with the lowest crash fatality shares, which offer the best protection, alongside the five models with the highest shares, where occupants are at the greatest risk in fatal crashes among the 150 vehicle models studied.
Lowest Share of Fatalities (Safest for Occupants)
- Jeep Grand Cherokee – 23%
- Dodge Ram Pickup – 25%
- Nissan Titan (2007 on models) – 28%
- Cadillac Escalade / ESV (2004 on models) – 28%
- Toyota Tundra – 29%
Highest Share of Fatalities (Most at Risk for Occupants)
- Chevrolet Cavalier – 88%
- Saturn Ion – 86%
- Chevrolet Spark – 84%
- Chevrolet Cobalt – 80%
- Chrysler PT Cruiser – 80%
Methodology
This study analyzes fatal crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), covering the years 2019 through 2023. We focused on crashes involving motor vehicles in transport and excluded vehicle body types that are primarily used for commercial purposes. This refinement allows the dataset to better reflect the types of vehicles driven by everyday Americans and the collisions they face on public roads.
The study is divided into two parts. The first part examines two-vehicle collisions by different body type pairings, analyzing the number of fatalities by vehicle, the share of fatalities attributed to each vehicle, and the overall distribution of fatalities across vehicles. It’s worth noting that FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) categorizes crossover utility vehicles (CUVs) as SUVs.
The second part expands the analysis to all multi-vehicle crashes, grouping them by a “target” vehicle model and all other vehicles involved in the same crash. For each target model, we calculated the proportion of fatalities occurring among occupants of that model compared with all other vehicles it struck, providing a two-group view of fatality distribution at the model level.
Tesla models and Mini Cooper variants are excluded from model-specific analysis because FARS groups them only by make, preventing reliable distinction between individual models or trims. Ford Taurus / Taurus X was also excluded as their body types differ.
These figures reflect fatality distributions, not risk per occupant. Differences in typical vehicle occupancy, for example, family-oriented vehicles carrying more passengers, may influence the proportions observed.
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