IIHS Study Names Ram 3500 and Others as Most Dangerous Cars

New analysis from the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety names the most dangerous vehicles on the road. For the first time, researchers measured the average risk of death in a collision involving a car of a specific class, using federal crash data.

Large pickups came out as the biggest threat. The heavy Ram 3500 had the highest danger rating, followed by different versions of the Chevrolet Silverado, Ram 1500, Ford F-150 and GMC Sierra.

The Dodge Charger also landed in the top three. Sports cars were listed as a higher risk to their own drivers, with the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette also mentioned. IIHS says these cars encourage aggressive driving, which helps explain the danger. Compact budget cars without modern safety technology were another concern, including the Kia Rio, Nissan Versa and Hyundai Venue.

Drivers of large premium crossovers and SUVs had the lowest fatal crash risk. The safest group included the Audi Q7, BMW X7, Chevrolet Tahoe, Mercedes-Benz GLE and Porsche Macan.