Jeep is an auto brand that isn’t exactly associated with safety. Its reputation stems from Jeep Wrangler models in the past that weren’t exactly the safest vehicles to be in during collisions and rollovers. So, how does the Jeep Renegade compare? Is this small SUV that’s packed to the rims with attitude a safer pick than the Wrangler?

Is the Jeep Renegade Safe?

IIHS Jeep Renegade Safety Ratings 

The 2020 Jeep Renegade has earned a top safety pick from the Institute for Highway Safety. But when the IIHS tested the Renegade, they used a model with optional safety features, and the Renegade seemed to only scrape by with meeting the bare minimum requirements. 

The optional safety features include the frontal crash prevention technology, which will tack on a little extra to the price tag. It was able to stop and prevent collisions at 12 mph and 25 mph automatically, though. 

Another one of the optional safety features that helped the Renegade score this award are the LED headlights that are only included in higher trim options such as the Latitude, Altitude, Limited, and High Altitude options. 

The models with the optional headlights scored with acceptable safety ratings. The models without the LED headlights have basic halogen reflectors that received a poor rating. 

Setting the optional safety features aside, the Renegade scored a ‘Good’ rating in all of its crash tests, except for one. In the front passenger overlap collision test, the Renegade only scored ‘Acceptable.’ Any grade lower than acceptable would have disqualified it. 

To be clear, the IIHS conducts tests with weighted crash dummies to assess structural damage, injury damage, and retardant or dummy movement during collisions. Sensors are placed on the dummies to see how much they’re impacted. 

A vehicle can be rated Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor based on how likely a passenger is to die in a collision. The standards are adjusted based on the weight and speed of a vehicle to judge larger SUVs fairly. 

NHTSA Jeep Renegade Safety Ratings 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also tested the 2020 Jeep Renegade. It scored four-star ratings across the board. Even for the front passenger side in frontal collisions. However, the optional forward-collision warning system was used during testing. 

During the side collision tests, the Jeep Renegade had mostly four-star ratings, accept for the safety of the rear passenger. With side collisions at 38 mph, the rear passenger safety only received a three-star rating. 

The Renegade also received a five-star rating during standing pole collision tests. This simulates how a vehicle fares when crashing into a fixed object like a utility pole or tree. 

During the rollover tests with evaluates the likelihood of a rollover in a loss of control scenario, the 2020 Jeep Renegade only scored a three-star rating. It has a 22.80% rollover risk with no dynamic tip result. 

With the NHTSA safety ratings, you can score between one to five stars for each category. So, the 2020 Jeep Renegade is pretty safe. While it’s not the safest vehicle ever, it’s a four-star award-winning one for safety, at least.