What is the Safest SUV on the Road? | SUV Safety Ratings & Scores

When it comes to choosing an SUV for you and your family, one of the top considerations on your mind is safety. Luckily, there’s plenty of data from test agencies out there providing information about which SUVs are currently the safest on the road.

Here at Cochran Buick GMC, we’ve put together a list of some of the top safety picks.

GMC Acadia

The Acadia is a mid-sized SUV with an almost perfect safety score, according to US News & World Report. The top review site gives the Acadia an overall safety score of 9.7 out of 10. This grade is based on crash tests carried out by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which gave the Acadia top marks in all six of its crash tests. The rating also incorporates the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s safety tests, which produced an overall safety rating of five out of five stars.

The mid-sized Acadia provides room for seven people across its three rows. It’s powered by a 193-horsepower V-4 engine. In terms of safety, the Acadia is equipped with family-friendly features, like a rear-seat reminder, so you can know that your kids are secure in their seats, and Teen Driver mode, which allows you to put a speed limit on your SUV when a younger person is learning to drive.

Buick Enclave

The Buick Enclave is another SUV that performs well in US News’ safety ratings, receiving an overall score of 8.9 out of 10. Like the Acadia, the Enclave received the best marks across the board from the IIHS in its crash tests.

The Enclave’s three-row cabin can seat up to seven passengers. The Enclave runs on a strong 3.6-liter V-6 engine and it has a high fuel economy. When it comes to safety features, the Enclave has a wide range of options to choose from, including adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and forward collision warning. The Enclave’s surround-view parking camera will help you keep safe as you maneuver in and out of tight parking spots.

Buick Encore

The Enclave’s smaller sibling, the Buick Encore, is another top safety pick. It obtained an overall safety score of five out of five stars from the NHTSA.

This subcompact SUV is a good choice for city driving since its small size and good handling enable it to nimbly maneuver along busy streets and into tight parking spots. It’s powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged V-4 engine and it has room for five passengers. In terms of safety features, you can opt for forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, and Lane Keep Assist. The available front and rear parking sensors will also come in handy by helping you avoid obstacles when moving around at close quarters.

GMC Terrain

If you need a little more space than what’s on offer in the Encore, the GMC Terrain provides you with the ideal solution. With an overall safety rating of 9.6 out of 10 from US News, it’s also an SUV that you can rely on once you’re on the road.

The Terrain seats up to five people across its two rows and it has plenty of cargo storage at the rear. The Terrain’s power train is led by a 1.5-liter inline-four with a capacity of 170 horsepower. The Terrain is equipped with a wide range of standard safety technology, including Lane Keep Assist, lane departure warning, and automatic emergency braking. Pedestrian detection and forward collision warning also come standard. You can upgrade to adaptive cruise control and a parallel parking alert system for extra peace of mind.

Chevrolet Equinox

Another front-runner in your search for a safe SUV is the Chevy Equinox, which was awarded an overall safety score of 9.7 out of 10 from US News for 2021. It also obtained a predicted reliability rating of 87 out of 100, which is considered great by JD Power.

Under the hood of this compact SUV, you’ll find a 1.5-liter engine with 170 horsepower. The five-seater Equinox wins praise for its large amount of rear-seat legroom, which is perfect for adult passengers. Its long list of standard safety features includes forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, and automatic emergency braking. For highway driving, you’ll also benefit from lane departure warning, Lane Keep Assist, and automatic high-beam headlights. For extra protection, you can upgrade to a surround-view parking camera and blind-spot monitoring.

Volvo XC40

The XC40 is a great subcompact SUV with an excellent safety rating from US News of 9.9 out of 10. It received top marks across the board from the crash tests performed by the IIHS.

Volvo’s smallest SUV is powered by a turbocharged V-4 engine that puts out 187 horsepower. Inside the cabin, there’s spacious seating for five passengers and more than 20 cubic feet of storage behind the rear row. As for safety features, you’ll find forward collision warning, onward collision mitigation, and automatic emergency braking all come standard. You also get rain-sensing windshield wipers to ensure you have a clear view up ahead. You can choose to add an advanced driver assist feature called Pilot Assist, which can automatically control your brakes and speed on the highway.

Chevrolet Trax

The Trax may be Chevy’s smallest SUV, but it holds its own with its larger competitors when it comes to safety. The NHTSA gave the Trax an overall safety score of five out of five stars based on its crash-test results.

The subcompact Trax is powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged V-4 that puts out 138 horsepower. There’s plenty of legroom in both rows for adult passengers. Available safety features include blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear parking sensors.

Now that you’ve read through our list of some of the top SUVs when it comes to safety, it’s time to look through our extensive online inventory. We stock many of the GMC and Buick SUVs described in this article, and our helpful team of auto experts can assist you in finding the right SUV to meet your needs. Contact us today to learn more.