Published March 8, 2026
Vehicle Safety Ratings Explained: NHTSA Stars vs IIHS Ratings
Two organizations dominate vehicle safety ratings in the United States: NHTSA with its 5-Star Safety Ratings and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) with its Top Safety Pick awards. Understanding what each rating measures — and what they do not measure — helps consumers make more informed safety decisions.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings evaluate how well vehicles protect occupants in crash tests. The program tests frontal crash, side crash, and rollover resistance, assigning 1 to 5 stars for each category and an overall rating. More stars indicate better crash protection. NHTSA tests a representative sample of new vehicles each year using standardized crash test protocols.
IIHS Ratings
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducts its own independent crash tests using different protocols than NHTSA. IIHS tests include moderate overlap front, small overlap front (driver and passenger), side impact, roof strength, and head restraint tests. Vehicles receive ratings of Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor. IIHS also evaluates headlight performance and crash avoidance technology.
Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+
IIHS awards Top Safety Pick (TSP) to vehicles that earn Good ratings in all crash tests and meet minimum requirements for crash avoidance and headlights. Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) has even stricter headlight requirements. These awards are widely cited by consumers and manufacturers as indicators of superior safety performance.
What Safety Ratings Do Not Measure
Neither NHTSA stars nor IIHS ratings measure real-world defect rates or recall history. A vehicle can earn a 5-star NHTSA rating and IIHS Top Safety Pick+ while simultaneously having a poor recall and complaint record. This is where data from NHTSA recall and complaint databases adds critical context. Our safest cars by recall data analysis provides this complementary view.
Combining Ratings with Recall Data
For the most complete picture of vehicle safety, combine crash test ratings with recall and complaint data. A vehicle with strong crash test ratings AND a clean recall record provides the highest confidence in overall safety. Conversely, a vehicle with great crash test scores but frequent recalls for brake defects or steering failures may not be as safe as its ratings suggest.
How to Use These Resources
When evaluating a vehicle, check all three sources: NHTSA 5-star ratings, IIHS crash test ratings, and the vehicle recall and complaint history on RecallIndex. Visit our safest vehicles ranking for vehicles that perform well on recall data, and use our comparison tool to evaluate specific models side by side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Neither is better — they measure different things using different test protocols. NHTSA ratings provide an easy-to-understand star system, while IIHS ratings test additional crash scenarios and evaluate headlights and crash avoidance technology. Check both for the most complete picture.
Yes. A vehicle with completed recalls is no less safe than one that was never recalled. Recalls indicate that a defect was identified and fixed. What matters is whether open recalls are repaired and whether the vehicle has a pattern of severe safety defects.
No. Safety ratings measure crash protection in controlled test conditions, while recall rates reflect real-world manufacturing and design defect rates. A vehicle can score perfectly in crash tests while still having a high recall rate for unrelated defect categories.