The safest used cars in Australia (2026)

It’s no secret that buying a second-hand car is a lot cheaper than buying new. While there are benefits to both approaches, there are definitely some great benefits to be had if you look at the used car market. 

And although you’ll notice a huge change in the price brackets, what doesn’t change is the importance of a car’s safety. 

Thankfully, every year research into used car safety is published, meaning you can easily see which cars are the best in this category. 

How the used car safety ratings are calculated

The user car safety ratings (UCSRs) are based on a five-point scale (one is worst, five is best) over three categories:

• how well a car protects the driver and passengers in an accident
• how safe pedestrians and other drivers are in an accident with this car
• quality of crash avoidance technologies

Cars that score perfect fives across all three categories are given a ‘safer pick’ rating which shows it’s the best of the best. 

The research is co-ordinated by Monash University and includes inputs from all the state’s governments and the relevant transport departments. 

As a general rule, newer cars are safer than older ones. This is because safety technology keeps evolving, so newer models are (normally) built to minimise accidents and damage. 

Some revamped models of cars have huge discrepancies between years. For example, a Honda Civic built between 2016 and 2021 has a ‘safer pick’ accolade, but if you buy one built between 2001 and 2005, it only has a two-star rating. 

The research looks more deeply, and delves into different vehicle categories. Here are the best (and worst) in each section. 

 

 

Click below to jump to the appropriate section or scroll through and see which cars are the safest in Australia.

• Light cars
• Small cars
• Medium cars
• Large cars
• Small SUVs
• Medium SUVs
• Large SUVs
• People carriers
• Commercial vans
• Commercial utes

Light cars

With 49 models rated, the light cars section is the only one without a safer pick highlight. 

That isn’t to say there aren’t safe light cars, but all of the five-star models have something holding them back. 

The safest light cars in 2026 are:

• Honda City 
• Mini Mk II
• Toyota Prius

 

There were, unfortunately, quite a few light cars with one-star ratings. The lowest ranked included:

• Ford Festiva
• Nissan Micra
• Suzuki Ignis

Small cars 

With more choice in the city car sector, there are also more options with great ratings. There are 13 small car models that achieved the safer pick level, but sometimes this was only for a specific year.

The best rated small cars are:

• BMW 1 Series (2011-19)
• BMW 2 Series
• Holden Astra (2016-20)
• Honda Civic (2016-21)
• Hyundai Elantra
• Hyundai i30 (2017-23)
• Kia Cerato (2018-23)
• Mazda 3 (2013-23)
• Mercedes Benz A-Class (2012-2018)
• Renault Megane
• Subaru Impreza (2016-23)
• Toyota Corolla (2018-23)
• Toyota Prius V

 

In all of these cases, it’s the most modern model (or two in the case of the Mazda 3) that scored the best.

The worst-rated small cars for safety were the Honda Integra (2002-2006) and the Nissan 200SX, closely followed by the Kia Cerato (2004-2008), the Hyundai Accent (2000-06) and the Daewoo Nubira and Lanos models. 

Medium cars 

Despite a smaller pool of cars, 10 medium cars got the top safety rating:

• Audi A4
• Audi A5
• Mazda 6 (2012-23)
• Mercedes Benz C Class (2007-23)
• Mercedes Benz CLA Class
• Subaru Liberty (2009-14)
• Tesla Model 3
• Toyota Camry (2011-2023)

 

The turnaround in the Camry is fantastic, with the 1997-2002 version of the car scoring three ones. Other cars in this section with poor scores include:

• Holden Vectra (1997-2003)
• Honda Prelude
• Hyundai Sonada (1998-2005)

 

Large cars 

The smallest pool of cars – just 28 models – the large cars section has two top-rated models:

• Ford Falcon (2008-16)
• Mercedes Benz E Class (2009-16)

 

Despite this small selection, large cars have three models that scores ones across the board:

• Ford Falcon (1998-2002)
• Holden Statesman (1999-2003)
• Mitsubishi Magna (1996-2005)

Small SUVs 

Moving into the world of SUVs and we begin to see a lot more five-star safety ratings. From the 34 small SUVs tested, almost half of them were classed as safer picks. 

The safest small SUVs in 2026 are:

• Audi Q3
• BMW X1 (2015-22)
• Ford Ecosport
• Hyundai ix35
• Hyundai Tucson (2015-20)
• Hyundai Kona
• Kia Sportage (2010-15)
• Mazda CX-3
• Mazda CX-30
• Mercedes Benz GLA-Class
• Mitsubishi ASX (2016-23)
• Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
• Nissan Juke
• Suzuki Vitara
• Volkswagen Tiguan (2016-23)

 

Only three small SUVs got a one-star rating:

• Daihatsu Terios
• Holden Cruze
• Kia Sportage (1998-2003)

 

You may notice that the Kia Sportage is on both lists. You can see here how it’s evolved from a poor safety rating to one of the best on the market.

 

Medium SUVs 

Like the smaller SUVs, medium models also have a high number of incredibly safe options. The top ranking include:

• Audi Q5
• Ford Kuga
• Honda CR-V (2012-23)
• Hyundai Santa Fe (2012-18)
• Jeep Cherokee (2014-22)
• Jeep Wrangler (2007-18)
• Land Rover Freelander 2
• Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
• Lexus NX (2014-21)
• Mazda CX-5
• Mercedes Benz (2015-23)
• Mitsubishi Outlander (2012-21)
• Nissan X-Trail (2014-22)
• Porsche Cayenne
• Porsche Macan
• Subaru Forester (208-23)
• Toyota RAV4 (2013-23)
• Volvo XX60 (2009-17)

 

Some of the lowest ranked in this category:

• Hyundai Terracan
• Jeep Wrangler (1996-2006)
• Land Rover Defender
• Mitsubishi Challenger
• Suzuki Grand Vitara (1998-2005)

 

Large SUVs 

Large SUVs tend to be the safest vehicle type, with a very high number of five-star ratings and only two with a one-star rating. 

The safest large SUVs in Australia are:

• BMW X5 (2007-2013)
• Jeep Grand Cherokee (2010-21)
• Land Rover Range Rover Sport
• Mazda CX-9
• Mitsubishi Pajero Sport
• Nissan Pathfinder
• Volkswagen Touareg

 

The lowest performers were:

• Ford Explorer
• Toyota Landcruiser

People movers

While safety is important for all drivers, you’d like to think a people mover – generally bought by people with large families – would have increased safety.

However, of the 16 people movers on the market, only one for a safer pick accolade – the Honda Odyssey (2013-21). 

On the flip side, only one got the lowest possible safety rating: the Mitsubishi (1995-2003).

Commercial vans 

For commercial vans, there’s one clear winner: the 2013-23 Ford Transit. Not only did it get a safer pick award, it was the only model from 13 that got five stars overall. 

At the other end of the scale, four vans scored only one star:

• Kia Pregio
• Mitsubishi Express
• Toyota HiAce (1996-2004)
• Volkswagen Caravel (1995-2004)

Commercial utes 

Despite the huge number of utes on the road, there are none with a safer pick, and none with five stars. Several scored four stars overall but the area they often failed is their safety for other road users – all but one of the 29 models scored a one in this category, with the other only getting a two. 

As well as there being no standout winners, four utes scored ones across the board, making them the least safe options:

• Ford Courier
• Great Wall V240
• Holden Commodore VU
• Mitsubishi Triton

Buying a safe second-hand car

With the amount of research going into road safety, it’s easier than ever to know what you’re buying and to find a safe car.

If you’ve got your eye on something and you need some help getting the best used car finance, get in touch with us and you could be driving your new car before you know it.