Reference

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

The government's star ratings tell you how a model held up in standard crash tests and how likely it is to roll over. Here is what the program tests, why the ratings belong to a year, make and model rather than a single VIN, how to compare them fairly, and how they differ from recalls.

By Pixoware. Published 26 October 2026.

The short answer

The 5-Star Safety Ratings come from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). NHTSA says the program provides information about the crash protection and rollover safety of new vehicles, on a scale where one star is the lowest rating and five stars the highest. Vehicles are rated for frontal crash, side crash and rollover resistance, and those results are combined into an Overall Vehicle Score.

Ratings are published by model year, make and model, not by individual VIN. A VIN decode gives you the year, make, model and configuration to search for at nhtsa.gov/ratings. RunThatVIN decodes specifications and lists recalls; it does not show star ratings.

What the program rates

NHTSA describes these tests on its ratings pages:

Frontal crash. The vehicle is driven into a fixed barrier at 35 mph with belted dummies representing an average-size adult male driver and a small adult female front passenger. NHTSA says this is equivalent to a head-on collision between two similar vehicles each moving at 35 mph. Five stars means less than a 10 percent chance of serious injury; one star means more than 40 percent.
Side barrier crash. A 3,000-pound barrier moving at 38.5 mph strikes a standing vehicle, simulating an intersection-type collision. The dummies sit in the driver's seat and in the rear seat behind the driver.
Side pole crash. The vehicle strikes a 25 cm pole at a 75-degree angle at 20 mph, with a small adult female dummy driving. NHTSA says the pole mimics narrow fixed objects like utility poles and trees.
Rollover resistance. This rating is based on the Static Stability Factor, an at-rest laboratory measurement of how top-heavy a vehicle is, plus a driving maneuver that tests whether the vehicle is vulnerable to tipping up in a severe maneuver.
Overall Vehicle Score. NHTSA calculates this from the injury probabilities in the frontal and side tests and the projected risk from the rollover rating, and compares the result with the average risk across the fleet.

A ratings label can also carry a safety concern symbol. NHTSA uses it to flag a safety concern the government has identified, such as structural failure, and says the concern is not part of the Overall Vehicle Score. A vehicle can have a high star rating and still carry the symbol, so read the notes, not just the stars.

Recent changes to the program

NHTSA says it is constantly evaluating NCAP for updates. In November 2024 it finalized two significant changes, effective for the 2026 model year:

More driver assistance tests. Four technologies were added to the program: pedestrian automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, blind spot warning and blind spot intervention. These are pass/fail tests, and NHTSA's notice says vehicles that pass are identified with check marks on its website rather than given stars.
Pedestrian protection. A new crashworthiness assessment of how well a vehicle's front end reduces injuries to pedestrians it strikes. NHTSA's notice says it is not using a comparative rating for this yet; vehicles that meet the threshold get credit with a check mark or similar notation.

In September 2026 NHTSA released its first pedestrian protection results, for model year 2027 vehicles, and said 102 models from 10 manufacturers met the new criteria. Its model year 2027 test list, announced on 15 October 2026, includes 23 vehicles for frontal, side and rollover crash tests, 18 for the pedestrian assessment and 10 for driver assistance tests.

Why a VIN points you to the rating

NHTSA tests a selection of new models each year, and its guidelines note that all models are not tested yearly. Results are published for a model year, make and model. Within a model, ratings are split into variants: NHTSA's own ratings data, for example, lists the 2013 Acura RDX as two vehicles, an "SUV 4WD" and an "SUV FWD", each with its own entry. So the same nameplate can have different ratings depending on body style or drive type.

That is where the VIN comes in. It encodes the model year and the vehicle's attributes, as how to read a VIN explains, and the 10th character gives the model year, listed in our model year code chart. Decode the VIN, note the year, make, model, body style and drive type, and pick the matching variant on NHTSA's site.

One catch: NHTSA's guidelines say that when a model changes partway through a model year, a revised rating applies only to vehicles built on or after the date of that change, and some side ratings apply only to vehicles with specified equipment. If a rating carries a note like that, check the actual car.

Comparing ratings fairly

Stars are not one universal scale. NHTSA groups vehicles by class and curb weight: passenger cars (mini, light, compact, medium and heavy), SUVs, pickup trucks and vans. Its rules for comparison are:

Frontal ratings should only be compared with vehicles from the same weight class, within plus or minus 250 pounds.
The Overall Vehicle Score can only be compared with other vehicles in the same class, with the same 250-pound rule.
Side ratings can be compared across all classes, because every rated vehicle faces the same barrier and the same pole.
Rollover ratings can also be compared across all classes.

The window label rule in 49 CFR 575.302 makes the same point, printing "Should ONLY be compared to other vehicles of similar size and weight" beside the overall and frontal ratings.

Model years matter too. NHTSA made the tests tougher starting with the 2011 model year, and among other changes added a side pole crash test. At the launch, NHTSA's Administrator said that safety ratings for a model year 2010 vehicle cannot be compared to those of a model year 2011 vehicle. If you are shopping older used cars, compare like with like.

When a vehicle isn't rated

Not every vehicle has stars. NHTSA said its 23 crash-tested model year 2027 vehicles would support safety ratings covering 87 percent of all new vehicles. A single category can also be missing. NHTSA says "Not Rated" means the vehicle has not been tested for that particular crash condition.

An unrated vehicle is not an unsafe one by definition. NHTSA notes that unrated vehicles are still certified by their manufacturer as complying with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards.

Where to find the ratings

NHTSA's website. Search by year, make and model at nhtsa.gov/ratings. The same page lets you compare vehicles side by side and lists the driver assistance technologies NHTSA recommends.
The window sticker on a new car. NHTSA's timeline records that in 2006 window labels on new vehicles were required to include 5-Star Safety Ratings information. Under 49 CFR 575.302, vehicles of 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating or less that must carry a Monroney label show the overall, frontal, side and rollover ratings on it, or "Not Rated" where NHTSA has not released a rating.

Ratings are not recalls

A star rating describes how a model performed in NHTSA's tests. NHTSA says a recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards. Recalls are repaired for free at a dealer, and NHTSA's VIN search shows whether one specific vehicle still has an unrepaired recall.

A five-star model can still have an open recall on a particular car, so check both. Our guides to how vehicle recalls work and recall history by VIN cover the recall side, and what to verify by VIN before you buy puts it all into a pre-purchase checklist.

IIHS is a separate program

You will also see results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. IIHS describes itself as an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization, wholly supported by auto insurers and insurance associations. It runs its own tests and gives its own Top Safety Pick award. It is not part of NHTSA, and its results are not NHTSA star ratings.

Quick answers

Can I look up a car's safety rating by VIN?

Not directly. NHTSA publishes 5-Star Safety Ratings by model year, make and model, split into variants such as body style and drive type. Decode the VIN to get the year, make, model and configuration, then search those at nhtsa.gov/ratings.

What does "Not Rated" mean?

NHTSA says it means the vehicle has not been tested for that crash condition. It is not a failing grade. Unrated vehicles are still certified by the manufacturer as meeting all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards.

Can I compare star ratings between any two cars?

Not always. Side and rollover ratings can be compared across all vehicle classes, but frontal ratings and the Overall Vehicle Score should only be compared with vehicles in the same class and within 250 pounds. NHTSA also said that model year 2010 ratings cannot be compared with model year 2011 ratings.

Is a safety rating the same as a recall check?

No. A rating describes how a model performed in NHTSA's tests. A recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines a vehicle creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards, and NHTSA's VIN search shows whether a specific vehicle still needs a recall repair.

Sources

What to verify by VIN before you buy →