Vehicle safety ratings and insurance costs

Crash-test ratings do not set your insurance price directly. Insurers price each model on its claims record, and a car that protects its occupants well tends to generate fewer and smaller injury claims, which helps the medical and injury parts of your premium. But the collision and comprehensive parts depend mostly on what the car costs to buy and repair, so a top-rated car can still be expensive to insure.

The two U.S. rating systems

Two organizations crash-test new vehicles in the United States, and they measure different things.

What NHTSA tests

According to NHTSA, its frontal test crashes a vehicle into a fixed barrier at 35 mph, the side barrier test hits a standing vehicle with a 3,015-pound moving barrier at 38.5 mph, and the side pole test slides the vehicle sideways into a pole at 20 mph. The rollover rating combines a measurement of how top-heavy the vehicle is with a driving maneuver. One caution: NHTSA says frontal ratings can only be compared between vehicles within about 250 pounds of each other, while side ratings can be compared across all vehicles. NHTSA has required star ratings on new-vehicle window labels since 2006.

What IIHS requires for an award

For 2026, IIHS requires a Top Safety Pick to earn good ratings in the small overlap front, moderate overlap front and side tests, acceptable or good standard headlights, and acceptable or good standard pedestrian front crash prevention. Top Safety Pick+ additionally requires a good pedestrian crash prevention rating and an acceptable or good rating in its updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention test. IIHS stresses that awards compare vehicles within size categories: a small car with an award may not protect its occupants as well as a bigger vehicle without one.

How safety shows up in your premium

Your premium is a bundle of coverages, and a car's safety affects some much more than others.

Insurers do not read IIHS or NHTSA results and set a price. They use claims experience, often summarized in a rating such as a vehicle symbol. That experience reflects safety indirectly. The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), the insurance-data affiliate of IIHS, reports that injury claim frequency under MedPay and PIP tends to fall as vehicle size increases within each class, because occupants of larger, heavier vehicles are subjected to less force. The Insurance Information Institute notes that insurers also look at how much damage a model can inflict on another car and may charge more for liability if that risk is higher.

So a well-rated car helps where injuries are concerned, and size and weight matter alongside the ratings. For the full picture of how a model is priced, see how the car you drive affects your insurance rate.

Crash-avoidance technology: fewer claims, costlier repairs

Driver-assistance systems (advanced driver-assistance systems) cut both ways. IIHS research finds that automatic emergency braking reduces rear-end crashes by about half, which means fewer claims. But the cameras, radar and sensors behind those systems sit in bumpers, grilles and windshields, so a minor crash or a cracked windshield can cost far more to fix and may require recalibration. The net effect on premiums depends on the model and the insurer; driver-assistance sensors and the cost of repairs explains the repair side.

Discounts for safety features

Some insurers discount specific coverages for safety equipment. State Farm, for example, lists a passive restraint discount of up to 40% on medical-related coverage for factory-installed airbags (checked October 2026). A few states require discounts: Florida law makes insurers discount certain coverages for factory anti-lock brakes and airbags, without setting the percentage. Because most of this equipment is now standard and already reflected in a model's base rate, these discounts are often modest; safety feature and anti-theft discounts covers them in detail.

Using safety and loss data when you shop

Crash ratings tell you how a car protects you. Insurance loss data tells you what it costs insurers. Use both:

1. Compare crash ratings within the same size class. Check IIHS awards and individual test results, and NHTSA stars, for each model on your list.
2. Check whether key features are standard. IIHS 2026 awards count only standard headlights and pedestrian crash prevention; on other models, these may depend on trim.
3. Look up insurance losses. HLDI publishes insurance losses by make and model, showing how each model's claims compare with the average for all passenger vehicles under six coverages, adjusted for driver age, location and other non-vehicle factors. HLDI says shoppers looking for a safe vehicle should focus on models with fewer, less severe claims than average, especially under injury coverages. See IIHS and HLDI insurance loss data: what it shows about cars for how to read the tables.
4. Get real quotes for the exact trim. Ratings and loss data describe averages; your quote reflects your driving record, location and coverage choices. check insurance costs before you buy a car walks through the process.

An example of reading the signals

Say you are choosing between two small SUVs (a hypothetical comparison). Both earned Top Safety Pick awards. Model A's HLDI results show MedPay and PIP claim frequencies below average and collision losses about average. Model B shows similar injury results but collision losses well above average, because it costs more to repair. Both should protect you similarly in a crash, but Model B will probably cost more to insure with collision coverage. If you plan to drop collision on an older car later, the gap narrows.

Ratings for older and used cars

Ratings apply to the model years tested, and tests get tougher over time, so an older car's rating is not directly comparable with a new car rated under newer protocols. HLDI says its loss results are generally good predictors for current versions of a model, but not after a substantial redesign. For a used car, check the ratings for its specific model year and confirm any open recalls with NHTSA's recall search by VIN or license plate.

Key takeaways

• NHTSA stars and IIHS awards measure crash protection; insurers price from claims data, so ratings affect premiums only indirectly.
• Good crash protection mainly lowers injury-related coverages such as MedPay, PIP and, to a degree, bodily injury liability.
• Collision and comprehensive costs depend on price, repair costs and theft, so a top-rated car can still be expensive to insure.
• Crash-avoidance systems reduce crashes but can make repairs costlier.
• Combine crash ratings, HLDI insurance loss data and quotes for the exact trim before you buy.