NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings come from its New Car Assessment Program. The headline overall score combines three crash tests and a rollover measurement. The frontal test drives the vehicle into a rigid barrier at 35 mph and scores the driver and front passenger separately. The side test simulates a junction collision, and the side-pole test — added because pole and tree impacts are disproportionately lethal — drives the vehicle sideways into a narrow pole at the driver's position. Rollover is not a crash but a calculated resistance rating from the vehicle's geometry, expressed in stars.
Two real scorecards from our data show how the system behaves. The 2019 Toyota Camry scores 5 stars frontal, 5 side and 5 rollover, for 5 overall — a clean card with one four-star test. The 2013 Honda Accord shows why variant matters: NHTSA rated the 2-door and 4-door separately, and their frontal scores differ — the coupe's published card is five stars across the board while the sedan's frontal score is four. Same nameplate, same year, different tested metal.
Three reading rules follow. First, ratings belong to the tested variant only — body style, and sometimes drivetrain, change the result. Second, the overall star is a weighted combination, not the lowest sub-score, so read the full card. Third, ratings are not comparable across NHTSA's own eras: the program was made more demanding for model-year 2011, so a five-star 2009 car was not tested to the standard of a five-star 2019 car. Every scorecard on this site is published per model-year and per variant precisely so those distinctions survive.
The scorecard also records equipment context: whether electronic stability control was standard on the tested variant (it is, on 148 of the 148 featured variants in our data — ESC has been effectively universal since it was mandated) and whether the vehicle carried the crash-avoidance features NHTSA tracks. Those fields do not change the stars, but they explain part of the gap between a 2013 scorecard and a 2023 one: the newer vehicle is being measured in a fleet where stability control, side airbags and stronger roofs are baseline equipment rather than selling points.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tests make up the overall rating?
A 35 mph frontal barrier test, a side-impact test, a side-pole test, and a calculated rollover-resistance rating, combined into one weighted overall score.
Can two variants of one car score differently?
Yes. NHTSA tests body styles and drivetrains separately — the 2013 Accord coupe and sedan carry different frontal scores in the published data.
Are old five-star ratings comparable to new ones?
Not directly. NHTSA tightened the program from model-year 2011, so cross-era comparisons overstate older vehicles.