"I liked your article in AdAge. I have friends who need to be exposed to your writings: these may be stressful times, but they have a purpose as a catalyst for change." -Brian
Read More Testimonials»

Our Buying a New Car Experts

Jean Jennings

Jean Jennings

President, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Automobile magazine...

Shared by First30Days View Profile»
Mike Quincy

Mike Quincy

Auto-content specialist for Consumer Reports

Shared by First30Days View Profile»
Philip Reed

Philip Reed

Senior consumer-advice editor for Edmunds.com

Shared by First30Days View Profile»

Meet all of our House and Home Experts»

Got a Question?

Q&A

If you have questions about this change, you're in the right place. Our editors, experts, and community of change optimists have answers!

Changeling

Question:What's the safest car?

So many cars feel tinny when you close the doors, you wonder how safe you would be in an accident.

Asked by Changeling on 4/10/08 6 Answers»
coleman

Answer:

About airbags. We bought a mazda 3 last year and the salesperson told us that side airbags came standard with the 2.3 we fell in love with the car, brought it home and then realized the next day that the windows and doors were not stamped with the airbag code meaning there were none. The dealership corrected the mistake but you should do your homework about a car before you take it home.

Answered by: coleman on 6/25/08
LMAYO9

Answer:

Consumer Reports is always a good source for car safety info:
Link

I've also heard that pretty much any car with stability control is much safer than ones without.

Answered by: LMAYO9 on 6/25/08
C_Stewart

Answer:

Volvo's are still the safest and most reliable car on the market, but with some of the larger SUV's on the market today, you are also plenty safe given their size and internal room to move around. Finally, given new airbag technology, many cars now come with up to 6 airbags.... Airbags really do help, and shoud be a question you ask before any purchase

Answered by: C_Stewart on 6/25/08
BrklynMom

Answer:

As a mom, safety is always at the top of my list when buying a new car. My husband and I always find Consumer Reports a fantastic resource for reviewing cars we're considering. They also now have a crash test video on their site that lets you watch how well a variety of cars are rated.

We have bought Saabs, Volvos and now have a Lexus Hybrid. They all tested very well and have been wonderful cars to drive. It's also good to look at buying a car that has a roadside assistance service. That way, you'll never feel like you're stuck without some kind of support, which can be a lifesaver if you're driving along or with a young child.

Good luck to you!

Answered by: BrklynMom on 6/25/08
hercules

Answer:

vOLVO

Answered by: hercules on 6/25/08
TrueTraining1

Answer:

That's a hard question to answer with so many cars to chose from. A good rule of thumb is to simply check out some of the companies that rate crash tests - Link or Link. These websites rate an auto's ability to withstand many different real-life crash scenarios.

There are many safe cars out there but if safety is your number one concern you might want to jump over to the SUV market - you are 2x safer in any full-size SUV than any "car" and 4x safer when riding in a Chevy Suburban!

Answered by: TrueTraining1 on 6/25/08
Got an Answer?