The 10 cars with the highest chance of getting totaled after an accident are mostly Fords [Study]
Per the National Safety Council, in 2022, car accidents caused an average of $6,100 in physical damages per vehicle involved. Of course, depending on the circumstances, repair costs can ring up much higher. Sometimes, the estimate to fix a wrecked car exceeds its market value. In this case, an insurance company will label the vehicle a total loss. In the U.S., certain cars – even ones that don’t get into many wrecks – have a higher chance of getting totaled than others. Interestingly, a new set of data suggests that of the top 10 cars most likely to get totaled in a car accident, Ford models take up four spots. Also of note is the most common vehicle class: they’re nearly all sedans or coupes.
The top 10 cars most likely to get totaled after a car accident
| Model | Number of Accidents | Total Loss Claims (per 100 vehicles) | Total Loss Claims | 2023 Sales | % of accidents resulting in totaling | Composite Score |
| Ford Mustang | 4,521 | 15 | 660 | 197,947 | 14.60% | 64.8 |
| Ford Focus | 13,289 | 15 | 1,927 | 295,201 | 14.50% | 63.7 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LD | 5,314 | 15 | 771 | 200,381 | 14.50% | 58.9 |
| Dodge Challenger | 4,125 | 14 | 586 | 222,216 | 14.20% | 53.9 |
| Ford Fusion | 15,874 | 14 | 2,238 | 110,665 | 14.10% | 51.1 |
| Subaru WRX | 5,731 | 14 | 808 | 121,282 | 14.10% | 48.0 |
| Ford Taurus | 9,874 | 14 | 1,382 | 154,385 | 14.00% | 47.5 |
| Kia Stinger | 7,125 | 14 | 990 | 158,385 | 13.90% | 45.7 |
| Lexus ES | 3,125 | 14 | 434 | 128,932 | 13.90% | 45.5 |
| Chevrolet Cruze | 12,321 | 14 | 1,713 | 47,975 | 13.90% | 38.7 |
Levine and Wiss, a personal injury law firm, collected 2023 crash data. The firm looked at the number of reported car accidents per model. It compared that data to the number of total loss claims for the same vehicles. In the end, insurance companies seem to call the Ford Mustang totaled most often after a car accident. Interestingly, this is despite its overall lower accident rate. According to the research, if a Ford Mustang wrecks, it has a 14.6% chance of ending up a total loss.
The Ford Focus is in second place. The compact car has a much higher accident rate but a total loss rate of 14.5% – only slightly lower than the Mustang. The Ford Fusion lands fifth. The sedan has a 14.1% chance of getting totaled after a collision. The Ford Taurus has the seventh spot. It also has a higher accident rate than the Mustang but a lower total loss rate than the other Ford models in the study – a flat 14% chance.
Sedans and coupes are more likely to end up in a total loss claim
Ford recently retired the Focus and already stopped building the Fusion and Taurus. As such, we can assume that the vehicles with the highest total loss rates also have a higher average age.
Besides these Ford models, the list includes Chevy, Dodge, Subaru, Kia, and Lexus nameplates. Overall, the entire list is within a percentage point of each other. Moreover, nearly all of them are sedans or coupes. Strikingly, the only truck in this top 10 list is the Chevrolet Silverado. It landed in third place. The pickup had relatively few total loss claims compared to other models. However, its low accident rate slid its total loss rate to 14.5%.
An accident in modern times quickly adds up, easily crossing the market value of heavily used models. What’s more, larger trucks and SUVs are still super popular. We can expect sedans and coupes to be totaled at a higher rate after the average collision, which likely involves a larger vehicle.
