You may have plenty of reasons for wanting or needing a full-size SUV. Maybe you have a large family, or you regularly cart around an entire baseball team, just for fun. Perhaps your job requires you to have seating for eight. Whatever is prompting your search, you’re likely concerned about safety, too. Sure, larger vehicles tend to be safer than their smaller counterparts, but does that mean that all full-size SUVs are created equal? Certainly not. Here are the three safest full-size SUVs you can buy in 2021. 

The 2021 Chevy Suburban is one of the safest full-size SUVs

It’s worth noting that the 2021 Chevy Suburban’s crash test ratings aren’t perfect, and Consumer Reports only gives it a 60 overall. However, not many full-size SUVs are crash-tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), which makes it more difficult to compare the safest full-size SUVs. 

Still, out of available crash-test ratings, the 2021 Chevy Suburban’s are among the highest. Unfortunately, that means that it only gets four stars for its overall crash, overall frontal-crash, and overall frontal-crash on the passenger side tests. The overall frontal-crash, driver side score is five stars. 

Side crash test ratings are all five stars for the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The rollover ratings for both the 2WD and 4WD models are both three stars. Not great, but not very different from other large SUVs (with the exception of the 2021 Toyota Sequoia, which despite not having any other crash test ratings, scores four stars for rollover). 

The 2021 GMC Yukon isn’t Consumer Reports recommended, but its safety ratings are decent

The 2021 GMC Yukon can’t live up to the 2021 Toyota Sequoia’s overall score, at a 58 to the Sequoia’s 68. It’s not even recommended by Consumer Reports, like the Sequoia is. Still, it has available crash test ratings, while the Sequoia does not. 

The 2021 GMC Yukon has identical ratings to the 2021 Chevy Suburban. This makes sense, as the two full-size SUVs are cousins built on the same platform. Even their safety features are the same. The 2021 GMC Yukon comes standard with forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking for the city. Pedestrian detection, rear view camera, anti lock brakes, and traction control are all also standard in the 2021 GMC Yukon. 

The 2021 Ford Expedition has the best crash test ratings of any full-size SUV 

If your priority is safety, then the 2021 Ford Expedition is the way to go. Although it hasn’t been tested by the IIHS, its NHTSA ratings are unrivaled. The 2021 Ford Expedition scores five stars for its overall crash test, overall frontal-crash, driver and passenger sides, and and its overall side crash tests. Additionally, side crash ratings for both the driver and rear passenger sides are also five stars. 

If you’re shopping for a full-size SUV, you may be frustrated by the lack of available crash test ratings with which to choose your next vehicle from. Still, by comparing what is known about each three-row SUV can help you make your decision. Take into account the known safety ratings, past crash test ratings (if models are very similar), and  safety features when making your decision.