Mirror, mirror on the wall, which is the safest car of them all? While it’s easy to assume that it’s the Acura TLX or the much-loved Toyota Corolla, one critic believes it to be the 2023 Ford Mustang. So how safe is the Mustang, and is it truly worthy of this latest achievement? Here’s what we found out.

Why did the 2023 Ford Mustang win?

It’s a rare thing indeed for the Ford Mustang to be praised for its safety, but the 2023 model has done it. In a list of the safest cars from TrueCar composed of 20 vehicles, including the Tesla Model 3 and Toyota Camry, the Mustang reigns supreme. But why, exactly?

Mustangs aren’t exactly family cars and certainly aren’t known for being great daily drivers. Their chief claim to fame is being extremely fun vehicles to drive, especially if you have the cash to purchase a higher trim levels. 

In the review, there’s not much mention of safety. There’s lots of praise for the Mustang’s long history and performance, but very little about safety. In fact, the only mention of how safe the 2023 Ford Mustang is revolves around its NHTSA rating, which is on par with all the other vehicles on this list.

So is there more to the Mustang besides a high NHTSA rating, or is this American-made car just all looks and power?

Here’s how the Ford Mustang performed under pressure

The NHTSA thinks the 2023 Ford Mustang is a safe choice, hence the five-star rating. This had a lot to do with the additional safety tech that Ford has made standard, as well as the fact that it earned five stars in all tests. 

The tech that helped the 2023 Mustang achieve a higher score includes forward collision warning, lane departure warning, crash imminent braking, and dynamic brake support. 

There are other factors that helped it stand out just a little more, such as seat belt reminders for the second row. Most automakers include them for the driver and front passenger, but the second and third rows are often forgotten.

In the 2023 Ford Mustang, you’ll have to deal with that persistent and frustrating beeping sound until everyone in the vehicle puts their seat belt on.

The one area of concern in the NHTSA review is a single recall. Some owners have reported their Mustang rolling away even when parked. An investigation revealed this is due to a loose bolt in the transmission, but Ford is addressing this through a recall.

Living up to the hype

Is the 2023 Ford Mustang truly the safest car on the road? That’s questionable. It certainly has a lot of features that have proven it’s a safe vehicle, but there are other cars like the 2023 Volvo V90 which include plenty of safety features and perform well in IIHS testing.

While the Ford Mustang does well in general, it didn’t exactly shine in the IIHS testing. Not only did it fail to earn a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+, but it received marginal scores for the seat belt and child restraints category. Because of this, it’s difficult to firmly state that the 2023 Ford Mustang truly is the safest car of them all.

Even so, it has a lot of beloved features that have been drawing consumers in since 1964. The Mustang has made a lot of leaps and bounds in terms of safety over the years, and while it still has some growing to do, it’s a great addition to anyone’s car fleet.