10 Safest Midsize SUVs

2017 GMC Acadia Denali ・ Photo by General Motors

When you’re looking for a new vehicle for your family, you’ve probably got a midsize crossover on your list. We’ve searched for the 10 safest midsize crossover SUVs to help you decide which one is right for you. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) publishes its 5-Star Safety Ratings for this very purpose. SUVs are rated in four categories: Overall, Frontal Crash, Side Crash, and Rollover. Each crossover on our list has received an Overall 5-Star rating, and 5-Star Ratings for Frontal Crash and Side Crash. Interestingly, no midsize crossover SUV has received a 5-Star rating for Rollover – 4-Star is the highest that has been awarded.

Here is our list of the 10 safest midsize crossover SUVs (in alphabetical order by brand).

2017 Acura MDX AWD/FWD

Acura’s flagship crossover, the 2017 Acura MDX, is a 3-row, 7-passenger premium SUV with a host of safety features in addition to its NHTSA ratings. The AcuraWatch suite of driver assistance is standard on every MDX, and includes collision mitigation braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist and road departure mitigation. Acura touts its Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body construction’s ability to “help reduce and disperse forces in front crashes,” along with vehicle stability assist, blind spot information system, surround view camera, front and rear parking sensors and rear cross traffic monitor as a comprehensive safety system that will keep your family secure on the road and in the event of an accident.

Photo by Acura

2017 BMW X5 RWD/AWD

Another premium crossover SUV, the 2017 BMW X5 seats seven and brings excellent on- and off-road driving manners to the job. In addition to the standard safety features that you expect on any modern SUV, BMW supplements its X5 with Active Front Headrests and Adaptive Brakelights. BMW Assist eCall has an SOS feature and Enhanced Automatic Collision Notification that helps bring and emergency response to you in an accident, even when you are not able to make the call for help yourself. An impact sensor automatically disconnects the alternator, fuel pump and starter from the battery when it detects a collision event, which can greatly reduce the possibility of an explosion or fire.

Photo by BMW

2017 Buick Enclave FWD/AWD

Along with corporate cousin vehicles Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia, the 2017 Buick Enclave achieves impressive NHTSA ratings for a three-row, seven-passenger crossover SUV. Outward visibility is a particularly strong point in this crossover. A rear vision camera gets supplemented with Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist with an audible warning and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. To the side, Blind Zone Alert and Lane Departure Warning help keep track of the surroundings. If you get too wrapped up in your sides and rear, Forward Collision Alert lets you know that you’re getting too close for comfort. And you can also get power outside rearview mirrors that are power-folding and heated, so you can still see what’s behind you in the cold.

Photo by General Motors

2017 Chevrolet Traverse AWD/FWD

The most affordable of the trio of GM mid-size crossovers that include the Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia, the 2017 Chevrolet Traverse makes good use of the corporate toolbox to enhance its safety profile. Often overlooked, the standard OnStar telematics system has a host of safety features in addition to convenience and navigation options. Roadside Assistance and Emergency Services can be dispatched with the system, and even Automatic Crash Response is part of the package. OnStar can unlock your vehicle remotely, sound the horn and flash the lights, and even block the ignition from starting your Traverse, which would be very useful in the case of theft or carjacking – which nobody wants to think about.

Photo by General Motors

2017 Ford Explorer FWD/AWD

The Ford Explorer has had an interesting part in the SUV safety story. Back in the 1990s, a mismatch between Explorer and certain Firestone tires led to a disproportionate number of rollover incidents. The bad publicity led to substantial changes in the way that SUVs were engineered for safety and stability. Explorer itself was redesigned from a traditional body-on-frame SUV to a new unibody crossover platform to become an entirely new vehicle from the ground up, and one that can be ordered up with a broad array of standard and optional safety systems. Explorer went from a vehicle with questionable safety to the 2017 Ford Explorer, one of the safest mid-size crossovers on the market.

Photo by Ford

2017 GMC Acadia AWD/FWD

If you love the Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse, but you’re looking for a little more luxury than they have to offer along with their safety features, you should check out the 2017 GMC Acadia. Mechanically, the three GM mid-size crossovers are virtually identical, but Acadia comes with the option of the Denali trim level. Denali is like checking all of the boxes on the order sheet, then adding even more luxury and appearance packages on top of that. So, you get all of the standard and optional safety features that GM has to offer, plus a substantial upgrade on the interior and exterior – and you get to say that you drive a Denali.

Photo by General Motors

2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport FWD/AWD

Hyundai grew its business in the US with value, loading its vehicles with standard and available features. Then came “America’s Best Warranty,” which pushed the brand toward respectability. But safety was arguably the real breakthrough, as Hyundai was the first brand with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) as a standard feature across its lineup. The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport mid-size crossover takes things a step further, with a tremendous array of standard and optional safety features including Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Change Assist, Multi-View camera system, rear parking sensors and more. A Tech Package adds Smart Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Warning and more.

Photo by Hyundai

2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD

The 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee brings over 70 available and standard safety and security features to the game. Too often, passive safety gets overlooked as an asset; in response, Jeep proudly points out its front and rear crumple zones and multi-stage airbags, including a driver-side knee blocker airbag. Driver assistance technologies help to avoid the necessity of using the passive systems. Lanes Sense Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist, Forward Collision Warning with Active Braking, Blind Spot Monitoring and Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop work together to assist the driver to operate the Grand Cherokee safely. Grand Cherokee can even park itself automatically in certain circumstances, a safety and convenience feature that can make life with a mid-size crossover even easier.

Photo by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

2017 Kia Sorento FWD/AWD

The 2017 Kia Sorento blows away the old expectations of the brand with impressive luxury, convenience, and safety features. The list of standard safety features that are included at each trim level covers the landscape from anti-lock brakes to airbags, from rollover sensors to side impact door beams, from Hill Start Assist Control to Vehicle Stability Management and beyond. Not only that, the top trim levels have high-tech standard and available features like Surround View Monitor, Rear Parking Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Detection, Advanced Smart Cruise Control and more. Add in Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking to the package, and Sorento is set to compete with the safest mid-size crossover SUVs.

Photo by Kia

2017 Volvo XC90 AWD

The Volvo name has always been synonymous with safety, and the 2017 Volvo XC90 AWD carries on that legacy. Volvo’s current safety initiative, Vision 2020, pledges that “no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by 2020.” The brand’s suite of safety technologies goes under the name “IntelliSafe.” A combination of active and passive safety features, along with advanced driver assistance systems, help avoid accidents and mitigate injury and damage in the event that an accident is unavoidable. As the automotive industry marches toward fully autonomous driving, Volvo is working to implement semi-autonomous features that make driving an XC90 a safer, more relaxing activity.

Photo by Volvo