Every year lots of studies come out, usually from insurance companies or various countries’ government agencies, based on road safety statistics. Some of these statistics have to do with which car brands (and/or models) you’re more likely to be involved in an accident with, and even though data does vary from country to country and it changes from year to year, there are some undeniable patterns that arise.
It is generally accepted that people who drive premium brand cars are more likely to cause mayhem on the road, and this includes road rage and actual accidents. This isn’t always the case, though, as the very top of these not very flattering lists is often graced by affordable cars.
For instance, Insurify points out in a 2019 study that America’s most crashed is actually the Subaru Crosstrek, followed by the Honda HR-V and Hyundai Elantra GT - all of these cars cost from about $20,000 and are by no means premium vehicles. This result is also somewhat ironic given the fact that the Crosstrek is actually one of the safest vehicles you can buy in the U.S. at any price point.
Photo: Subaru
Some say that when at the wheel of a very capable, powerful and fast car, many drivers have a tendency to try to make the most of what that car can offer, often ignoring traffic rules, as well as common sense. And not all drivers are as skilled in handling a big, strong motor, so this, in turn, makes them more likely to get themselves in a sticky situation - and by sticky I mean stuck in the side of a building, another car, or worse...
At the same time, cheaper cars also seem to be prone to crashing. The reason behind this is probably completely different compared to why expensive cars are crashed. These affordable motors are many people’s first car, so in this case, it’s probably lack of experience behind the wheel that gets them into trouble and not their cockiness.
Another study, published by GoCompare lists the 30 most likely cars to be involved in a crash, relying on U.K. government data in order to do so. Said study puts an unlikely vehicle at the very top of the U.K.’s most accident-prone cars list: the Toyota Prius. Curiously, it is followed by the mid-1990s Citroen Saxo, then the BMW 330d and BMW 530d.
Photo: Toyota
This study suggests that it is either quite expensive cars or fairly cheap ones that are the most likely to get you into trouble. It also rates the most accident-prone cars by make, and that list is topped by Vauxhall (sold as Opel in Europe, outside the U.K.), Daewoo and SEAT.
In Belgium, on the other hand, most crash-prone cars are SEATs, followed by Volkswagen and Ford. VW is the country’s most popular car brand, so that might have something to do with the fact that it ranks so high on this list.
What’s especially interesting about this particular study is the fact that while Audi is ranked as the tenth most accident-prone car brand in the country, BMW and Mercedes don’t make the top ten - the rank thirteenth and twenty fourth on the same list.
Basically, the stereotype that premium-badged cars with reckless and aggressive drivers at the wheel isn’t really true. At least the statistics don’t seem to indicate this in the U.S., U.K. or continental Europe.
Photo: Ford
This may be because there are just more non-premium cars on the road, and since their number are lower, they cannot make the top of the charts. Maybe some studies that rate cars based on how many were sold from each brand (and model) and not based on the entire number of cars on the road.
As things stand right now, doing the research for this article, I didn’t really find a direct connection between a specific brand and a higher number of accidents.
This matter probably needs more in-depth information gathered over several years in order to definitively say if you are more likely to have a crash in, say, a BMW than in any other car - until such an in-depth study comes along, all you can do is drive safely regardless of what kind of car you’re driving.
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