You Don’t Have to Buy a New Car to Get Excellent Safety Features

Having a reliable automobile gives us the freedom to go wherever we want, whenever we want, but with that freedom comes great responsibility. Safety behind the wheel is the responsibility of all drivers sharing the road, but distractions, malfunctions, and accidents do happen. That’s why many drivers make the trip to a car dealership looking for the safest possible vehicle on the road.

While airbags have been around since the 1970s, and anti-lock brakes became an option not long after, safety and driver assistance technologies are a recent addition to cars. In fact, several auto manufacturers implemented standard safety technologies in the early 2020s, making it easy to find a solid, reliable used vehicle with an excellent safety rating. If safety on the road is important to you, take a look at some of the used cars that have earned a stellar reputation for safety to help you get started choosing the best used car for you.

The Toyota Camry

The Toyota Camry was fresh off a model refresh when it earned third place in KBB’s Best Midsize Cars of 2020. While the new design and updated engineering were certainly part of the Camry’s consideration for that prestigious position, there were a few other factors involved.

First was the addition of an all-wheel drive option for nearly every model in the lineup. Sedans aren’t generally known for their all-weather, all-surface prowess, but Toyota changed the game by adding an all-wheel drive system that allows the vehicle to operate in front-wheel drive until slippage is detected by the car’s wheel sensors. That’s when the Camry sends torque where it’s needed, keeping drivers in control on the roadway. This system also features AWD Dynamic Torque Control, which distributes up to 50% of the power to the rear wheels when navigating challenging areas at speeds of 15 mph or less.

Also on board every Camry starting with the 2020 model year is the Toyota Safety Sense suite of driver assistance technology. In 2020, the Toyota Safety Sense P package included adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, and lane-departure warning with lane keep assist. Automatic high beams were also standard, but blind-spot monitoring was reserved for the higher XSE and XLE trims.

In 2021, a newly upgraded Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ package was introduced on the Camry, marking the debut of this comprehensive suite of safety features. This package added pedestrian detection when traveling forward or navigating a left turn through an intersection. By 2023, Toyota had updated the Safety Sense suite of features to include lane tracing assistance and road sign recognition.

As is the case with every manufacturer on this list, the Camry isn’t the only vehicle in the Toyota lineup to have earned excellent reviews for its overall safety and reliability. When considering a used Toyota, look for mention of the Toyota Safety Sense package, along with what features are included.

The Honda CR-V

Most of the Honda lineup has earned high praise for its safety standards. The Civic, Pilot, HR-V, and CR-V have consistently earned five-star ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Honda was also a relatively early adopter of anti-lock brakes, and in 1993, driver and front passenger airbags were standard on all Honda models. Honda earnestly promotes a crash-free future, which it calls a “Cooperative Car Society.”

The CR-V stands out as an incredibly popular SUV model that suits the needs of many safety-minded drivers. Starting in 2020, the Honda Sensing Safety Suite has been standard on every CR-V model, from LX to Touring. Indeed, the Honda Sensing Safety Suite is one of the more robust driver technology packages, with features that have included pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking since they became standard. Blind-spot monitoring and a rear cross-traffic alert have also been standard equipment in the EX, EX-L, and Touring models since 2020.

The 2023 Honda CR-V received a complete redesign, including re-engineered Honda Sensing features. In addition to Collision Mitigation and Road Departure Mitigation, Traffic Jam Assist and the Traffic Sign Recognition System were added to the standard package. The EX trim and above include blind spot monitoring technology along with cross-traffic alerts, low-speed automatic braking, and parking sensors in the front and rear.

While the Body Stabilizing Seats Honda added to the CR-V in 2023 aren’t technically a safety feature, they are specifically designed to reduce driver body fatigue, allowing for a more comfortable, alert driver. That year, it also earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating, the highest possible level of safety standards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The Subaru Outback

In the past decade, the Subaru Outback has consistently won accolades for its overall value and safety standards, earning IIHS Top Safety Pick+ and five-star NHTSA ratings. Part of this is due to Subaru’s symmetrical active torque-split all-wheel drive. In short, this system is able to gauge road and driving conditions to send power to whichever wheel or wheels are slipping automatically. In ideal conditions, most of the torque is distributed to the front wheels, but when terrain changes, the Outback automatically compensates for any traction differences.

Since 2021, the Subaru Outback has also included standard EyeSight Driver Assist Technology, a package of sensors and radars that provide lane-centering and forward collision mitigating tools along with adaptive cruise control. Additional safety features, such as blind-spot and rear cross-traffic monitoring, were offered in 2021 as part of a package on the Premium trim or as standard features on higher trims. With the 2023 model refresh, the EyeSight Driver Assistance package added automatic high beams. Blind spot monitoring technology with a rear cross-traffic alert again became optional at the Premium trim level, while the Onyx Edition gained a 180-degree front view monitor and standard blind-spot detection.

At the Touring and Touring XT trim levels, an LCD smart rearview mirror is added to the cabin, allowing drivers to swap the standard mirror view with a screen view of the road behind you, effectively “removing” any passengers’ heads, cargo, or other view obstructions within the car. Another exciting year for Outback drivers was 2024, as X-Mode became available on all models. Essentially, this technology allows drivers to engage a low-gear mode at the push of a button, providing extra traction in snow and mud. Some models offer additional X-Modes for even more difficult terrain.

Choosing Your Safety-Focused Used Car

One of the great advantages of buying a car today is the vast amount of information available about each model. If safety is a priority to you, consider looking at models with only IIHS Top Safety Pick+ and five-star NHTSA ratings. Bear in mind that safety ratings are based on many factors beyond driver assistance technology, airbags, and anti-lock brakes. Toyota, Honda, and Subaru are just a few of today’s automakers who engineer their vehicles’ structure specifically to provide protection in the event of an accident. We all dream of a future in which car accidents simply don’t happen, but until that time, it’s good to know that automotive manufacturers are designing and engineering cars that can keep us as safe as is currently possible.