Across 312 crash-tested models, BMW puts the largest share of its line-up through NHTSA testing with a perfect score — 100% of its tested models earn 5 stars overall (11 of 11).
Safest Car Brands — ranked
Share of each maker's crash-tested models that earn a 5-star overall NHTSA rating. A brand only appears once we have at least six tested models for it, so a single lucky result can't top the table.
The safest brands, and the ones that call cars back
A high five-star share says a maker builds well for the crash test. It says nothing about what happens afterwards. Here is the average number of recall campaigns carried by each brand's five-star models — Genesis keeps it to 22, while Volkswagen averages 76:
Fewer is better here — the opposite direction to the ranking above. Recall totals cover a nameplate's whole production run, so brands with long-lived models accumulate more; read it alongside the share table rather than instead of it.
What the two tables together tell you
Put the two measures side by side and the picture sharpens. BMW leads on crash tests with 100% of its line-up at five stars. That combination, not either number alone, is what we fold into the ForCar Safety Score on every other list in this cluster.
Other safety lists
Safest Car Brands — frequently asked
Which brand makes the safest cars?
BMW — 100% of its crash-tested models earn five stars overall (11 of 11), the highest share we measure.
Which brand has the fewest recalls among its safest cars?
Genesis — its five-star models average just 22 recall campaigns each, against 76 for Volkswagen. A clean crash-test record and a clean recall record are not the same thing, and NHTSA never shows them together.
Why isn't my favourite brand listed?
A make appears once we hold at least six crash-tested models for it, so a single strong result can't top the table. Smaller and newer brands drop out on that rule rather than on their scores.
Does a safe brand mean every model is safe?
No. The share tells you how consistently a maker builds to the test — BMW manages 100%, meaning 0 of its 11 tested models still fall short. Always check the individual car in the ranking above.
Is this NHTSA or IIHS data?
NHTSA — the U.S. government's 5-Star Safety Ratings, which cover the most models on one consistent scale. IIHS awards are a separate insurance-industry programme with different tests.
How we score safety
Cite this study
Journalists and writers are welcome to use these findings with attribution and a link to this page.
ForCar Research, “Safest Car Brands: NHTSA 5-Star Ratings.” ForCar.org. https://forcar.org/safest-cars/brands/