The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) created the 5-Star Safety Ratings program to provide consumers with information about the crash protection and rollover safety of new vehicles beyond what is required by federal law. One star is the lowest rating; five stars is the highest. More stars equal safer cars.

We have a list of the model year 2025 vehicles selected for crash testing under NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings program.

Yes, other organizations crash test vehicles, but NHTSA is the only organization that rates rollover resistance in addition to frontal and side crashworthiness.

NHTSA categorizes vehicles by class and “curb” weight. Curb weight is the weight of a vehicle with standard equipment including the maximum capacity of fuel, oil, coolant, and air conditioning. Passenger cars are further subdivided.

• Passenger cars mini (PC/Mi) (1,500–1,999 pounds)
• Passenger cars light (PC/L) (2,000–2,499 pounds)
• Passenger cars compact (PC/C) (2,500–2,999 pounds)
• Passenger cars medium (PC/Me) (3,000–3,499 pounds)
• Passenger cars heavy (PC/H) (3,500 pounds and over)
• Sport utility vehicles (SUV)
• Pickup trucks (PU)
• Vans (VAN)

Side crash rating results can be compared across all classes because all vehicles are hit with the same force by the same moving barrier or pole.

Rollover ratings can also be compared across all classes. 
Frontal crash rating results can only be compared to other vehicles in the same class and whose weight is plus or minus 250 pounds of the vehicle being rated. This is because a frontal crash rating into a fixed barrier represents a crash between two vehicles of the same weight.

The symbol ⚠ alerts consumers to a safety concern the government has about the vehicle. That concern can include: structural failure or some type of unintended performance of a vehicle component such as a fuel leakage or a door opening. Please note that safety concerns are not part of the calculation for an Overall Vehicle Score. A vehicle can have a high star rating, but still have a safety concern. However, if a safety concern is identified, the symbol will appear in the correct crash category and Overall Vehicle Score area.

The Overall Vehicle Score, also expressed as a star rating, is calculated using the probabilities of injury that are used in determining frontal and side ratings, and a projected probability of injury based on rollover resistance ratings. Values used in the calculation are weighted to reflect the proportion of real-world injuries associated with each type of crash. The result is then compared to the average risk of injury across the vehicle fleet to see whether the average risk of injury for a given vehicle is higher or lower than the average. Overall Vehicle Scores are assigned as follows:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐= Overall injury risk for this vehicle is much less than average

⭐⭐⭐⭐= Overall injury risk for this vehicle is less than average to average

⭐⭐⭐= Overall injury risk for this vehicle is average to greater than average

⭐⭐= Overall injury risk for this vehicle is greater than average

⭐= Overall injury risk for this vehicle is much greater than average

Because a vehicle’s Overall Vehicle Score is based in part on the vehicle’s frontal crash test rating, Overall Vehicle Scores also can only be compared to other vehicles in the same class and whose weight is plus or minus 250 pounds of the vehicle being rated. Examples include:

• It would not be permissible to compare the frontal and/or Overall Vehicle Scores of a 4,500 pound SUV with those of a 3,000 pound sedan (different classes and exceeds the weight requirement).
• It would not be permissible to compare the frontal and/or Overall Vehicle Scores of a 3,600 pound pickup with those of a 3,400 pound van (meets the weight requirement, but different classes).
• It would be correct to compare the frontal and/or Overall Vehicle Scores of a 3,400 pound passenger car with a 3,650 pound passenger car (same class and meets the weight requirement).

“Not Rated” will appear on the vehicle’s ratings label if the vehicle has not been tested for a particular crash condition. Even though a vehicle may not have been rated under the New Car Assessment Program, all vehicles sold in the United States are certified by the manufacturer as complying with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards (CFR Title 49: Chapter V, Part 571). These standards cover a broad range of safety concerns, from windshield wipers and brakes to crashworthiness and fuel integrity.

Even though a vehicle may not have been rated under the New Car Assessment Program, all vehicles sold in the United States are certified by the vehicle manufacturer as complying with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards (CFR Title 49: Chapter V, Part 571).  These standards cover a broad range of safety issues, from windshield wipers and brakes to crashworthiness and fuel integrity.