The 10 Vehicles Most Likely To Get Totaled
Written by
Nicole Spector
Edited by
Amber Barkley
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Despite vast innovations in the auto sector, there is yet to be a car on the market that cannot be utterly destroyed in a car accident — though an expert-informed article on Road & Track suggests we’ve gotten close with the supremely rare McLaren F1, a race car that sold for over $20 million at auction, which they described as “virtually impossible to total.”
And as you probably already know from personal and/or anecdotal experience, even the best and safest drivers are at risk. Anybody could run a red and plow into you, etc. Now, though every car is in some way susceptible to an accident that could be more expensive to repair than to replace — meaning it’s totaled — there are models that are more at risk than others.
Levine and Wiss, a personal injury firm based in New York City, researched the 50 cars involved in the most auto accidents to figure out which models are involved in the most accidents resulting in a totaled vehicle. Data on the total number of accidents, total loss claims per 100 vehicles and the 2023 sales were considered. These numbers were analyzed to make a scoring system.
Here’s a look at the 10 vehicles most likely to get totaled.
Chevrolet Cruze
- Number of accidents: 12,321
- Total loss claims per 100 vehicles: 14
- Total loss claims: 1,713
- 2023 sales: 47,975
- Percentage of accidents resulting in totaling: 13.90%
- Composite score: 38.7
Lexus ES
- Number of accidents: 3,125
- Total loss claims per 100 vehicles: 14
- Total loss claims: 434
- 2023 sales: 128,932
- Percentage of accidents resulting in totaling: 13.90%
- Composite score: 45.5
Kia Stinger
- Number of accidents: 7,125
- Total loss claims per 100 vehicles: 14
- Total loss claims: 990
- 2023 sales: 158,385
- Percentage of accidents resulting in totaling: 13.90%
- Composite score: 45.7
Ford Taurus
- Number of accidents: 9,874
- Total loss claims per 100 vehicles: 14
- Total loss claims: 1,382
- 2023 sales: 154,385
- Percentage of accidents resulting in totaling: 14%
- Composite score: 47.5
Subaru WRX
- Number of accidents: 5,731
- Total loss claims per 100 vehicles: 14
- Total loss claims: 808
- 2023 sales: 121,282
- Percentage of accidents resulting in totaling: 14.10%
- Composite score: 48.0
Ford Fusion
- Number of accidents: 15,874
- Total loss claims per 100 vehicles: 14
- Total loss claims: 2,238
- 2023 sales: 110,665
- Percentage of accidents resulting in totaling: 14.10%
- Composite score: 51.1
Dodge Challenger
- Number of accidents: 4,125
- Total loss claims per 100 vehicles: 14
- Total loss claims: 586
- 2023 sales: 222,216
- Percentage of accidents resulting in totaling: 14.20%
- Composite score: 53.9
Chevrolet Silverado LD
- Number of accidents: 5,314
- Total loss claims per 100 vehicles: 15
- Total loss claims: 771
- 2023 sales: 200,381
- Percentage of accidents resulting in totaling: 14.50%
- Composite score: 58.9
Ford Focus
- Number of accidents: 13,289
- Total loss claims per 100 vehicles: 15
- Total loss claims: 1,927
- 2023 sales: 295,201
- Percentage of accidents resulting in totaling: 14.50%
- Composite score: 63.7
Ford Mustang
- Number of accidents: 4,521
- Total loss claims per 100 vehicles: 15
- Total loss claims: 660
- 2023 sales: 197,947
- Percentage of accidents resulting in totaling: 14.60%
- Composite score: 64.8
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